Stargate: The Fires of the Inferno
by smfah1113
Summary: This is the sequel to Stargate: Disclosure. The Lucian Alliance is increasing the frequency of its attacks when a new power springs into the Milky Way Galaxy.
1. Chapter 1

This is the anticipated sequel to my debut story _Stargate: Disclosure_. A new enemy has risen from the infernal fires of hell. The return of an old enemy may also spell the end of the Tau'ri. I am in no way affiliated with the Stargate franchise. All ideas and characters, except for my original characters, do not belong to me. Enjoy!

Rated T for language, violence, and mild sexual content. There will be some Daneil/Vala, Jack/Sam, and Jennifer/Rodney, but nothing egregious. Please R&R.

Stargate: The Fires of Hell

Chapter 1

Imperium, a forested world. Constantly cloudy and rainy. To anyone's knowledge there had not been a sunny day in decades. The forests stretch on for miles, green and peaceful. The tree tops form a dense canopy over the forest floor. The ground is covered with lush green plants covered with beautiful flowers in every color imaginable. Many of the flowers are shaped like vases to catch the water from above. The most beautiful is called the Teter Flower. When pollinated, it produces the delicious Probrosus Berry. Every square inch of ground is covered with moss. There are large lakes of incandescent teal water. They get their color from the CaedeAlgae. Imperium has no oceans, only freshwater lakes. The wildlife in the forests and lakes is very diverse. Anything and everything is possible. Moving past the forests, there are wide plains covered in exotic grasses, the most prominent being Turpe Grass. Beyond the plains there is a range of mountains snaking through the landscape, stretching almost all the way around the planet. On the other side of the mountains there is a vast network of rivers connecting hundred of lakes. Each teal river flows from one deep teal lake to another. The lakes are like glass the way they reflect the sky. They are almost always perfectly still. Rain is not as common here as it is in the forest, but the sky is always cloudy. By an odd chemical process in a plant called the Gelo Tree, carbon dioxide in the air is frozen in the bulb of the tree and then deposited at the bottom of lakes. The trees grow exclusively near the lakes creating 'pure' air with very little carbon dioxide present. The dry ice at the bottom of the lake boils the water creating cold water vapor which is forced close to the ground by the warm atmosphere. The swirling fog rolls over the landscape for miles. Imperium is a beautiful world, but one thing stands out like an ugly mole. The city of Imperium…

Clangore Buccinæ Orca was a very odd man. He was the leader of the Igne Inferi people. Ruler of Imperium. The woman entered his office again.

"Have you considered my offer?" she asked.

"Yes," Orca said. "The answer is no."

"What?" her voice was calm, but Orca could sense the anger building in her. "I offered you galactic domination!"

"The galaxy already is ours," Orca said. "We are in the center of it; therefore, we rule it."

"You and your primitive little brain are too simple to understand the way the Universe works," she said.

"Universe?" Orca had never heard that word before. Without another word, the woman left. Orca could see her on the street below. Then, she disappeared. He sat back down at his desk and continued to veto laws promoting equal rights. The Orca Oris activated. They named the device after their leader. A group of prisoners from Aranea emerged. Another execution. It was the fifth that day.

"These people never learn," Orca said as he stood up. He walked out onto the plaza. The firing squad was there.

"I hope you all understand the severity of your crimes," Orca said. He sounded bored, like he wanted to be somewhere else. The prisoners were silent. Orca turned around, and the firing squad shot. The bodies were disposed of. They activated the Oris. The bodies were vaporized in the vortex. Orca returned to his office. The woman was there again.

"Leave," Orca said.

"No," she responded coldly.

"This is my world, my office. Not yours," he said. Fire erupted around the woman.

"You will accept my offer, or you will die," the woman said. She walked closer Orca. The heat of the fire grew.

"Alright!" Orca said. "I'll do it." The woman smiled; the fires were extinguished.

"Wise decision," she said. "I'll be back." She walked out of Orca's office.

On Earth:

"That's strange," General Carter said looking at a map of the known Stargates in the Milky Way.

"What?" Rodney asked.

"There are no Gates in this section of the galaxy," she replied.

"So?" Rodney asked.

"Don't you think it's just a little odd?" Sam said.

"Yes, but maybe the Ancients didn't get to them before they left?" Rodney said.

"That's not likely," Sam said.

"What's going on here?" Daniel said, walking into the Atlantis Control Room.

"Look at this," Sam said.

"You're sure?" he asked.

"Yes," Sam said. "There are several isolated groups of Stargates in this section of the galaxy."

"Well maybe if you said that, I would've believed you," Rodney said. Sam smiled.

"How can we dial them?" Daniel asked.

"I'm not sure. The addresses are easy," Sam said. "But they're locked out."

"Will the first-gen Gates get a lock?" Daniel asked. The first-gen Gates were the only thing left behind when the people who brought the fake Seed Ships to Earth left.

"We tried," Rodney said.

"And?" Daniel said.

"Let's just say our count of destroyed Stargates climbed to twenty three," Sam said.

"Wait," Daniel said. "You tried five times?"

"Yeah," Sam said. "You would think the first attempt would've deterred us."

"It usually does," Daniel said.

"Well we thought maybe if we tried different locations on the planet, but that didn't work," Sam said.

"Of course it didn't," Rodney said. "

"Okay," Daniel said. "This is too complicated. I am going to go work on something simpler. Like designing a starship." He left.

"What's up with him?" Rodney asked.

"Let's just say he's had a bad week," Sam said.

Vala was away on a lengthy mission with Cam and Teal'c. They were working on establishing an outpost on a few of the most distant worlds in the galaxy. They were doing this in an attempt to create a galactic web of Tau'ri colonies throughout the Milky Way. This was all part of a plan to explore the Universe.

"Well that wasn't so hard was it?" Vala asked. Teal'c stared at her. They worked for hours trying to get an Ancient Cloaking Device working.

"Cloak," Cam said. The small outpost disappeared.

On Imperium:

"I don't have much time," the woman said. Orca jumped a little. He didn't see her come in.

"What is it?" Orca asked. The woman placed her hand on Orca's desk. A small memory storage device appeared.

"Make the ship that is described here," before she could finish, a glowing ball of light entered the room.

"Thought you could hide from me here Adria?" Ganos Lal's voice said. Adria's eyes glowed with fire. She transformed herself into energy, and the battle continued. Orca was shocked. He had absolutely no idea what had just occurred right in front of his eyes. He examined the memory device. A holographic image appeared. It was something Orca had never seen before.

"What did the woman call this?" he said to himself. "A….ship?" He had never heard this word before. He took the device to his leading scientists who also had no idea what it was describing. There was only one thing to do. They placed the device in the obelisk that sat near the Orca Oris. A destination was selected. It was one the Igne Inferi had never seen before. They didn't even know they could go there. The Oris began to spin. When the final symbol locked into place, it activated.

"Unscheduled off world activation," Walter said. Before the shield could be raised, a small memory storage device came through the Stargate. The shield went up; the Gate deactivated.

The Igne Inferi were terrified that the device could activate the Oris, so they disposed of it the only way they knew of, destruction in empty space. They believed any address other than the ones to their worlds activated an Oris in empty space where planets weren't created.

"What is it?" Sam asked, walking into the Gate Room.

"It's a memory device," Daniel said. The hologram appeared. "These are specs for a ship." The Stargate activated without dialing. Morgan stepped through.

"Morgan?" Daniel sad. "I didn't know…"  
"That Ascended Beings could look like they've been through hell?" Morgan said. Another figure emerged from the Stargate.

"Who's that?" Daniel asked. Morgan grabbed the hood that covered the figure's face. It was Adria.

"You defeated her?" Sam said.

"In a manner of speaking," Morgan responded. "She is still Ascended, but she has no memories. You must guard her." She noticed the memory device in Daniel's hand. "Where did you get that?"

"It came through the Gate," Daniel responded.

"Do you know the address?" Morgan asked.

"Not yet," Sam responded. "It came through ten minutes ago."

"Interesting," Morgan said. "I cannot give you the address, but be warned." She disappeared, leaving Adria behind.

"Whoa…" Eli said as the _Destiny_ dropped out of FTL.

"What is it Eli?" Young asked.

"We made it," Eli said. "The edge of the Universe."

"Can we go past the edge?" Young asked.

"If you want to die a horrible death yes," Rush said.

"Why do you say that?" Young asked.

"We'd be reduced to nothing if we passed the edge. That's assuming we'd even be able to," Rush responded.

"Where did that come from?" Volker mused.

"What is it?" Young asked.

"A solar system," Volker said. "I'm reading a Stargate."

"How long do we have on the clock?" Young asked.

"As long as we need," Rush responded. "That solar system _is_ the ship's destination."


	2. Chapter 2

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing except my own original characters.

Chapter 2

"We've got a stable connection!" Walter said. The Wormhole fluxuated. "And now we don't."

"What went wrong?" Daniel asked.

"I'm checking that now," Sam responded. "I just don't think it's possible to dial the isolated groups of Stargates," Sam said. The Gate began to dial.

"Unscheduled…."

"I can see that Walter," Sam said. The seventh chevron locked, but the Gate didn't activate. It continued to spin.

"What the hell…." Daniel said. The eighth chevron locked, and the Gate began to shake.

"_Destiny_," Sam said. "They're dialing." The ninth chevron locked, and the Stargate activated.

"_Destiny_ this is Stargate Command," Sam said.

"Good to hear your voice while I'm in my own body," Young said.

"How did you dial?" Sam asked.

"We're inside a perfect star. No unpredictable activity," Young said. "We can keep the Gate open indefinitely, but we need to send a team to a nearby planet first."

"Why?" Sam asked.

"We're on the edge of the Universe, and we found a planet that spends a third of its orbit outside of the known edge of the Universe," Young said.

"Send any nonessential personnel back to Earth," Sam said.

"Right away ma'am. Young out." He signaled to Scott.

"Alright everyone. We've got a stable connection. It's time to go home," Scott said.

It took almost an hour to get everyone through the Gate. Eli managed to override the time limit.

"That's everyone," Camile said. "Shut it down." The Wormhole disengaged.

"Dial," Young said. Eli selected the planet's address. The Gate activated, and the remaining crew stepped through.

"This place is….perfect," Chloe said.

"What the hell is that?" Greer said pointing to the horizon.

"It's a distortion wave," Rush said.

"English please," Scott said.

"We're leaving the known Universe," Lisa and Eli said at the same time.

"It's not going to rip us apart or anything right?" Volker asked.

"Let's hope not," TJ said. "It would be pretty hard to put you back together."

"Let's get moving," Young said. They walked off toward the distortion.

An hour later, they were face to face with the edge of the Universe. Eli put his hand out. He touched it. He smiled for a moment; then, a look of horror flooded his face.

"Um…. Guys," Eli said. "I'm stuck." Young, Scott, and Greer tried to pull him out, but they only got themselves stuck in the process. The distortion wave surrounded them.

"Matt!" Chloe yelled and tried to run after him. Rush and TJ stopped her. The distortion wave surrounded them.

"That was so weird," Eli said on the other side of the wave as Lisa and Volker fell out.

"So where are we?" Chloe asked.

"Outside the Universe," Rush said.

"Didn't you say that would rip us apart?" Young said.

"There must be something special about this planet," Rush responded. They looked up at the sun. It was dim, and the small amount of light that was getting past the edge of the Universe was severely distorted.

"Cool," Volker said.

"What's that?" Lisa pointed off into the distance.

"It looks like…" Eli paused. "It can't possibly be…"

"A city," Greer said.

"That wasn't visible to the ship's sensors?" Rush said. "That's unlikely."  
"What if it was beyond the edge when we arrived?" Eli asked.

"The planet was entirely inside the Universe when we arrived, Eli," Rush said.

"Is it possible that the sensors missed it?" Young asked. "They are old."

"No," Rush responded. "They wouldn't miss something of that size."

"Should we go check it out?" TJ asked. Young didn't respond.

"Sir?" Scott asked.

"What. Yes of course we should," Young said. "Do you agree?"

"Do you even need to ask?" Rush said. They walked off toward the city.

On Earth:

"Walter," Sam said. "Are we ready to dial the Moon?"

"Almost ma'am," Walter responded.

"Slower," Rodney said from the surface of the Moon.

"I'm going as slow as I can," John said from a Puddle Jumper.

"Do you want me to fly?" Rodney said.

"No," John responded. The Puddle Jumper was hovering directly above a hole in the Moon's surface. A Stargate was dangling below the spacecraft. John slowly lowered it into the hole. When it reached the correct depth, two automated arms lowered it into its final position.

"Atlantis, this is Rodney," he said into his radio. "You are go for a test dialing." The Stargate began to spin. The Dialing Beacons strengthened the signature of the Gate. Atlantis was able to connect to the Moon.

"We're sending a MALP through," Sam said. A few seconds later, the robot came through the Stargate intact.

"It worked," Rodney said. "Start sending supplies through right away!" A Hyperspace window opened above the Moon.

"What the hell?" John said.

"_Atlas_," Rodney said. "Beam me up!" A ship appeared. It was massive. "_Atlas!_" Rodney was beamed up. He quickly got out of his space suit and ran to the bridge.

"What is that?" he asked.

"We don't know," Colonel Tarrant responded.

"We've got more Hyperspace windows ma'am. Seven Lucian Alliance ships. They're opening fire on the large object."

"Is it returning fire?" Tarrant asked.

"No ma'am."

"Protect it," Tarrant said. Asgard beam weapons and rail guns began to fire. The large object moved closer to Earth.

"What are they doing?" Rodney asked. The object entered the atmosphere. "It's headed for Atlantis. The Lucian Alliance ships followed.

"Stop that ship!" Sheryl said from the bridge of one of the Alliance ships. The Ha'tak began to fire at the _Atlas_.

"Arm weapons," Sam said. Several hundred Drones were ready to fire. The large object approached Atlantis. The Drones charged.

"Hold fire," Sam said. "I recognize that…thing."

"I do too," Daniel said. "It's the Nox city." A Lucian Alliance ship was quickly catching up to it.

"Fire Drones at the Alliance ship," Sam said. Dozens of glowing balls of light emerged from the city. They sped toward the Lucian Alliance ship. They destroyed it easily. The remaining Alliance ships jumped back into Hyperspace.

"Why do they always do that?" Tarrant asked. "They know they can beat us."

"We would destroy too many of their ships," Rodney responded.

"They have hundreds," Tarrant responded. "If they wanted to destroy us, they easily could."

Beyond the Edge:

The group had reached the city after walking nearly five miles. It was larger than any Earth city. They walked through the deserted plazas and streets.

"This place is desolate," TJ said.

"What's that?" Greer said. He saw a glowing object sitting on a pedestal. They slowly walked up to the object.

"Is that what I think it is?" Camile said.

"It's a Tau'ri symbol," Rush responded. He reached out to touch it.

"Rush," Young said. "Do you think that's a good idea?"

"The odds of finding this symbol on the edge of the Universe are nil," Rush said. "I think this was put here for us." He touched it. The symbol pulsed, and an eerie mist flowed from the pedestal.

"What did you do?" Volker asked. The mist formed into a voice. Words swirled in and out of existence forming loosely related phrases. The symbol pulsed again, and the words organized themselves.

"Welcome to Finés, the legacy of the…" The last word never fully formed, as though the fog was holding the word back. "This place was designed for you. You are free to use it and learn from it as long as this planet remains outside the…" Again the mist paused like it didn't know a proper word to finish the sentence. The symbol pulsed, and the mist vanished.

"That was interesting," Young said. "Rush. How much longer do we have until the planet returns to our Universe?"

"Three months," Rush responded.

"Let's hope there's enough food and water to sustain us," Camile asked. Rush touched the symbol again. It pulsed, and the entire city lit up.

"Let's get out there and do our job," Young said.

On Earth, the Nox city was carefully lowered toward Atlantis. The Council of Nox Elders suddenly appeared on the Ancient's city.

"Gaia?" Sam said to one of the short people.

"Yes," the Nox woman responded. "It is good to see you Captain Carter."

"Actually I'm a General now," Sam responded.

"My people and I journeyed here to deliver a very important message," Gaia said. "Gather the members of your team." The original members of SG-1 reported to a Briefing Room on the Nox city.

"Why do they want to talk to the four of us?" Daniel asked.

"Maybe they're throwing a party," Jack said.

"Perhaps there will be cake," Teal'c said.

"Gaia said it was urgent," Sam said.

"Welcome to our city," Gaia said as she walked into the room. "Please sit. Reluctantly, the council decided to give you our city."

"Why?" Daniel asked.

"We have been hunted by the Lucian Alliance for months," Gaia said. "The Asgard, the Ancients, and the Furlings are all dead. You are the only…" She paused. "Worthy race."

She gestured toward a computer screen, if it could be called that, and an image of the city appeared. "The city is based on organic structures."

"Like a Wraith ship," Sam said.

"Yes," Gaia cringed. "It is comprised of four main super-structures."

"Tree trunks?" Jack said.

"Indeed," Gaia said. "They are supplied water from surrounding tanks. Your ocean water should suffice despite its high saline pollution level. This is our computer core."

"It's like a brain," Daniel sounded impressed.

"Yes. It is like a brain," Gaia sounded slightly frustrated. "It contains the knowledge of my race and the Furlings. This is central waste, air, and water reclamation center. In short, our city is a large biological organism. It can become ill, and there is a possibility of death if it is not cared for properly. Now we will discuss the nutritional requirements."

"I wonder what's taking them so long," Cam said.

"Yeah…I'm bored waiting," Vala said. Daniel hadn't had a chance to see her since she got back. "Let's go spy on them!" Vala suggested.

"Probably not a good idea."

Three hours later Daniel returned from the Nox city with the rest of the team. He was so tired, he forgot Vala was back. He walked right past her.

"Oh Daniel," she said. "Can we pretty please do something fun?"

"Not now…" He remembered. "Vala!" He embraced her. The two of them left the Gate Room hand in hand.

"That was miserable," Jack said. "Why did you drag me into this?" Before Sam could respond there was a call on the radio.

"She's broken containment," someone said. "Adria escaped."

"This is bad," Sam said.

"Was her memory not erased?" Teal'c said.

"I'm guessing she got most of it back if she figured out how to break out of an Ancient prison cell," Sam said. "Let's go."

"Daniel Jackson," Teal'c said into his radio. Daniel scrambled to respond to Teal'c.

"What is it?"

"Adria has broken out of her prison cell. Meet General Carter and I in the Chair Room."

"Sorry love. I gotta go," Daniel ran out of the room.

"I want to come!" Vala said.

"How far do you figure she can go in a few minutes?" John asked from the Chair.

"Oh I don't know," Rodney said. "She can appear anywhere in the entire Universe. I'd say she could be literally anywhere right now." John used his mind to scan the city.

"I've got her," John said. "She's in the power room."

"This will stop you," Adria said to herself. She removed all three of the ZPM's. The city blacked out. She ran to the Gate Room. She pulled a talisman out of a pocket. The Gate dialed, but the shield wouldn't activate.

"What do you mean the Stargate just activated!" Rodney yelled. "The power's out."

"Where is she?" Daniel said entering the Chair Room with Sam and Teal'c.

"She just dialed the Gate," John said.

"Is the new ejection system working?" Sam asked. She set down a portable Naquadah Generator. She was able to activate a console.

"Yes," John said. Sam entered her command code. John did the same from the chair.

The window behind the Stargate opened, and the Gate was blown out over the ocean. It deactivated, but not before Adria made it through. She flew out of the Gate on an unknown world. She collected the ZPM's and dialed the Gate again. She would find her way back to Imperium somehow. If she made it there, Morgan wouldn't be able to find her.


	3. Chapter 3

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing except my own original characters.

Chapter 3

The planet was half way through its three month stay outside of the Universe. The group from _Destiny_ had settled into the ancient city.

"This place is enormous," Eli said from a computer console. "It's bigger than Atlantis."

"How is the download going?" Rush asked.

"Almost 50% complete," Eli responded. "But I might be able to speed it up a little."

"No," Rush said. "We don't want to risk any file damage." The symbol outside of the control building was glowing. Information was being pumped into it from the city's main computer.

"Look at this," Camile said entering the building. She held up a small energy storage device. "I found it sitting in the middle of a street."

"That's odd," Eli said. He touched the screen. A hologram emerged.

"It looks like a ship," Camile said. "But why is it here?"

"Maybe someone wants us to build it. This city is more than capable," Eli said. He set the device on a synthesis console. The hologram appeared again. The computer analyzed it. It began to manufacture the ship on a large synthesis pad outside the building. "It should take about a week or so. It's building from the atom up."

"How much computer processing speed will that take up?" Rush asked.

"Hardly any. The instructions are in the memory device," Eli said.

"That's strange," Camile said.

"Very," Eli responded.

Power had been restored on Atlantis by using Naquadah Generators, but the city didn't have the capability to raise its shield or fire weapons. The Nox left their city to Tau'ri after making sure it would be taken care of.

"Have you found anything yet?" Rodney asked.

"No," Daniel responded. "You will be the first to know when I do." Rodney left. Daniel drifted off. He was looking for a way to manufacture ZPM's in the Nox database. Sam managed to link it to Atlantis as well. There were trillions of files related to the topic of power sources. Daniel woke up when the computer found a match.

"Rodney!" he said into his radio.

"Don't tell me you found something," Rodney said. "I just got back to Atlantis."

"I did," Daniel said. "We can make our own ZPM's now." Daniel sent the file to a lab on Atlantis, and he took the next Puddle Jumper back to the city. Rodney met him in an Ancient lab that had not been explored yet. The consoles lit up. Daniel placed his hands on a panel. A platform lit up, and atoms began to organize themselves slowly. It would take hours to complete the Zero Point Module, but once one was created, the computer could manufacture more.

"Dial," Sam said. The Stargate spun. The orb above it glowed when the first chevron locked. The Lunar Gate spun. The seventh chevron locked, it activated.

"Lunar Colony, this is Atlantis," Sam said. Is it safe to send supplies through?"

"Affirmative," Walter said from the other side.

"Make it quick Colonel. We can only maintain this connection for fifteen minutes," Sam said.

"Yes ma'am," John said. "Move out." The group stepped through the Stargate. The final construction phase on the Lunar Colony began. It wouldn't be long before the defensive weapons could be installed.

"John," Teyla said after the supplies had been moved out of the Lunar Gate Room. "We need to talk."

"What is it Teyla?" John asked.

"Do you remember when you found me in the corridor after I killed a Wraith?" Teyla said.

"Right before Atlantis returned to Earth?" John said.

"Yes. And you told me," She couldn't finish. Ronon burst in.

"We've got a problem," he said with some emotion.

"What is it?" John said. Every fiber of his being told him something was terribly wrong. He, Teyla, and Ronon walked into the Gate Room.

"I don't believe we've been introduced," Adria said. Teal'c was crouching behind the dialing console. He activated an APD.

"Nice try," Adria said. A ball of fire flew from her hand. The Stargate spun behind her, silently coasting over the new Gate bearings. It activated. The unstable vortex hit her protective shield. She collapsed.

"Good timing," John said.

"Rodney managed to track her as she approached the Moon," Sam said.

"The timing was very convenient," Walter said.

"Indeed," Teal'c stood up.

"Do you think it worked?" Ronon asked.

"There's only one way to know," John said. "Dial Earth."

"Yes sir." The Gate spun.

"It's impressive," Rush said. They were standing outside the fully constructed "Mystery Ship" as Eli had named it.

"We've only got one more night here," Matt said.

"Can it fly?" Greer asked.

"Yeah," Eli said.

"Then we should get everything packed up and ready to go," Young said. They broke up into groups, collecting all they could from the city. Rush, Eli, Volker, and Lisa went into the main building.

"Is the download complete?" Rush asked.

"Yes," Eli responded.

"I'll go get the symbol," Lisa said. She went outside. The Tau'ri symbol had stopped glowing. She touched it. There was no pulse of energy, no speaking fog. She carefully lifted it out of the pedestal. It was lighter than she expected.

"What do you want me to do with it?" She asked.

"The ship should have a place to put it," Volker said. Lisa set the symbol down on an isolation pad.

In the morning, the supplies on the ship were ready. Camile took the key from the main building. She was the last one on the ship.

"That's everything," She said. She set the Tau'ri symbol on a pedestal in the center of the bridge. The consoles lit up. The ship slowly lifted off the ground. It flew off toward the Edge of the Universe. When it collided with the distortion wave, it stuck for a moment and then passed through.

"What kind of engines does this thing have?" Rush asked.

"Something called a Coaxial Flexion Drive," Eli said. "Whatever it is, it's faster than _Destiny_." The ship approached the Stargate. The bottom of the ship opened, and the Gate was pulled inside. It began to dial _Destiny_. Instantaneously, the _Destiny's_ entire database was downloaded. The alien ship approached _Destiny_.

"There's a huge power spike in the engines," Volker said.

"Is that bad?" Chloe asked shakily.

"I'm not sure," Volker responded. A field surrounded the two ships.

"How is this possible?" Eli asked. The ships jumped to Earth in an instant. The Flexion Jump caused several minor earthquakes on Earth. _Destiny_ detected Atlantis, and it began to descend.

"That was fast," Greer said.

"Atlantis, this is Colonel Everett Young. Do you read?"

"Loud and clear," Sam said. "How did you do that?"

"We're not really sure ma'am." The _Destiny_ veered off its course.

"What are you doing Colonel?" Sam sounded worried. A ship that big could do some serious damage.

"We aren't in control of _Destiny_ ma'am," Young said. "We're on the other ship."

"I don't know what's going on," Eli said.

"_Destiny_ detects the ocean. It can't land on water," Rush said.

"So it's heading for land?" Eli said. "It could hit a city."

"It won't," Rush said.

"What makes you so sure?" Eli asked.

"The ship would detect any large structures in its way," Rush said. _Destiny_ approached San Francisco. Everyone in the city dropped what they were doing. The ship shook buildings as it flew only feet above them. News stations across the nation were showing clips of the massive space ship flying above San Francisco.

"This just in," a news anchor said. "The unidentified flying." She paused. "Object has landed just outside of San Francisco. What's this? There's another ship in pursuit. The President is assuring us that this is _not_ an alien invasion. Everyone remain calm."

"Set us down right next to it," Rush said. _Destiny's_ air vents opened, and for the first time in over a million years, real atmosphere filled the ship.

"This is a really bad place for this," Scott said. Cars full of press and spectators were quickly approaching the scene.

"What's this?" a reporter said dramatically. "There is yet another ship entering the atmosphere." The _Aura_ descended toward _Destiny_. Sam used the Subspace Transmitter to broadcast a message on every television and radio in the United States.

"This is Lieutenant General Samantha Carter of the United States Air Force," Sam said. "Please do not panic. These two ships belong to the Stargate Program. They will be moved as soon as possible."

"We apologize for that brief interruption," the news anchor said. "We will now return to the breaking news. Two alien ships have landed outside San Francisco, and a third ship, supposedly belonging to the Air Force is pursuing."

"That's right Fortuna. The third ship is about to land next to the other two," the reporter paused dramatically. The _Aura_ touched down.

"Colonel," Sam said. "We need to get these ships out of here."

"We're trying ma'am," Young said. "_Destiny_ won't respond to our commands." An Asgard beam locked on to Eli, Rush, and Volker. They were beamed to _Destiny._ They ran to the bridge.

"Eli," Rush said. "How long will it take you to override the lock out?"

"What lock out?" Eli asked.

"When we reached Earth, the ship's systems locked up, and it went into an autopilot mode," Rush said.

"So we need to make it think it's not on Earth?" Volker said.

"Precisely," Rush responded. They began to work.

"And now back to our ground reporter Steve Reyons," the anchor said. "Steve, what's going on down there?" Fortuna was awkwardly perched on her chair trying to sound interesting.

"Nothing that we can see from the outside," Steve said. "But that doesn't mean nothing's happening." He winked after he said the news station's slogan.

"And now to our White House Correspondent Janis Janopolis. What has the President said about all of this Janis?" Fortuna asked.

"Well Fortuna," Janis said. Her voice had an annoying nasally quality to it. "The President has only said that he has full confidence in Stargate Command to deal with this issue."

"Thanks Janis. This just in! The alien ships seem to have caused a major earthquake south of Denver, Colorado, but nothing lives south of Denver, so everything's a-okay," Fortuna said.

"This is bad," Eli said.

"What is it?" Rush asked.

"This is where _Destiny_ was supposed to land if it ever returned to Earth," Eli said. "It can't be moved."

"How's it going over there?" Young asked.

"Not good," Eli said. "We can't move the ship."

"What he means to say Colonel is that we can't move the ship without a specific release code from Atlantis. It's probably buried somewhere in the city's database," Rush interrupted.

"What are you doing?" Eli said to Rush.

"Buying us time," Rush said.

"We have another update for you. General Carter said that the ship cannot be moved right now," Fortuna said. "The area will be blocked off." Rush managed to stretch _Destiny's_ shield around the area where the ship landed. No one would be able to approach the ship. Rush, Volker, and Eli beamed back to the alien ship, and it flew off toward Atlantis.


	4. Chapter 4

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing except my own original characters.

Chapter 4

Sirens blared in Atlantis as the massive amalgamation of unheard of metals flew toward the city.

"Can someone please shut those damn things off?" Jack yelled over the sirens.

"Sorry sir," a Gate technician responded. "We can't do anything about it. Everything is locked up." He pounded at a console and continued, "Communications, weapons, and the Stargate aren't working."

"That console's working." Jack pointed across the room where a sizeable amount of data was being uploaded to the Atlantis computer system. "What the hell is going on here?"

"It's a massive upload," the technician responded, his eyes becoming huge as he started at the console. "It's coming from that…. That thing." He pointed out the window at the massive ship bearing down on Atlantis.

"I can't stop the ship!" Camile shouted as sirens wailed around her. She tried with all her might to pull the symbol out of the control pedestal. Eli was dashing back and forth behind her trying to find a way to at least turn the ship out of the way.

"Got it!" Rush yelled, pulling a coil of wires out from under the pedestal. The ship's navigation unlocked, and Camile was able to turn the ship away from Atlantis.

On Imperium:

It had been quite some time since the strange woman disappeared. Clangore had cut down an entire field of Turpe Grass to create a construction pad for the new 'ships' he was instructed to build. He even removed three Gelo trees simply to create more space. The balance on Imperium was disturbed.

"Council members please," Clangore said in an annoyed tone. The Imperial Council was in a state of disarray after Orca ordered the construction of the ships. "These new." He paused, thinking about the proper word to use. "Ships will allow us to explore the vastness of space around this world."

"You mean to say there are other worlds outside of our empire?" A flustered Console said, his face turning red. "That is preposterous!"

"Take your seat!" Orca glared at the disruptive Console. "I was told by Adria that there is an entire Universe of planets out there for the taking!" Orca was enthusiastic, but none of his consoles seemed very convinced.

"Almighty Orca," a console said quietly. "Perhaps it is a trick to us from the true will of our Creators."

"This is not a trick," Clangore said, blood rushing to his pointy ears. "Adria _is_ one of the Creators." The room fell silent. The mere notion that a Creator would talk to mere Inge Inferi was preposterous. Also, the fact that said Creator was a woman caused many to cringe.

"You dare say that a Creator would take the form of a w-w-woman and talk to you?" a Console said defiantly.

"You dare defy me?" Orca said, trying not to shout.

"Yes I do Clangore," the Console was very persistent. Orca raised an eyebrow in shock. No Console had ever defiled his name in such a manner.

Orca pressed a button on the table. "Send the Febremologists to the Council Chamber," he said into the radio. The color drained out of the Console's face.

"F-fe-febremologists?" he asked shakily.

"That's right. We're going to play a little game." The door of the Council Chamber opened, and the brazen Console began to tremble. He attempted to run, but Orca's two most loyal Consoles, the Priori, stopped him. One of the scientists procured a needle from his lab coat. He stuck it into a bottle filled with red liquid. After rolling up the Console's sleeve, he injected him with the needle. Instantly, the Console's veins in his arm turned a sickening red color.

"Put him in the isolation chamber," Orca said. The Priori threw the Console into a clear fiber glass chamber that sealed the instant he was inside.

Before long, his ears started bleeding, but instead of being thin, his blood was thick and coagulated. Sweat beaded on his forehead. Every vein in his body was bright red. He gasped for air and pounded at the walls of the chamber. Orca and the other Consoles stared at the poor man.

Soon, the blood veins in his head began rupturing one by one. To Orca's dismay, this was not visible from the outside. The Console collapsed in pain.

One of the other Consoles turned away; Orca grabbed his shoulder and spun him around. "You will watch this," Clangore commanded. After the partial aneurism, the Console tried to stand up, but he fell back down in a coughing fit that splattered oozy clumps of blood on the walls of the chamber. He began to twitch violently as the temperature of his blood rose exponentially. Burning sores rapidly appeared all over his body, and they began spewing boiling viscid blood in every direction.

After a minute or so, the gruesome scene finally ended. Orca pushed a button on the table, and the chamber was illuminated by large pulses of fire. Acid poured from the top of the chamber, dissolving any remains.

The other Consoles had never seen anything like this happen before. "Now, would any of you like to challenge my decisions?"

"No your Excellency," the Consoles said in unison.

"Then this meeting is adjourned." Orca slammed the gavel down on the table, the sound echoing on the marble walls.

On Earth:

"I will escape," Adria said, her eyes burning with fire.

"Be my guest," Cam said sarcastically.

"You are very unwise to defy me in this way." Adria's voice was cool yet malicious.

"I think it's pretty unwise for you to threaten me," Cam said, staring down Adria.

Her eyes roared with flames. "Do not worry," she said calmly. "I will soon have my freedom and your head." Cam walked off.

"She's a nut job," Cam said, handing his rifle off to the next guard.

"I told you Rodney!" Sam shouted into the radio. "We cannot just move the Nox city to the Moon. It is a living organism."

"We have a whole lot of nothing up here though," Rodney responded.

"All of our ships are tied up with the Lucian Alliance."

"Can you at least send something through the Stargate. Even some dirt might be helpful. We could…" He paused in thought. "We could grow some plants. The air in this base tastes weird."

"Will do Rodney. Atlantis out." Sam sighed. She couldn't believe the President granted McKay, of all people, command of the Lunar Base.

"Sam!" Daniel said, running up the Gate Room stairs two at a time. "You need to see this." He plugged a Nox data storage device into a computer. "Remember how you wanted to dial that cluster of Stargates, but you couldn't figure out how?"

"Yes?" Sam raised an eyebrow.

"We know that Atlantis has the capability to create civilizations on worlds created specifically for that purpose. The Pegasus galaxy had many more of those template planets than the Milky Way does."

"But we were able to dial the planets in Pegasus," Sam said skeptically.

"They all had Space Gates, though, and the Atlantis computer prevented any development of space borne craft," Daniel replied. "We know that the Ancients used isolated systems of Gates if they wanted to hide something, but what if they also created similar systems to broaden the scales of their experiments."

"That's great, but we still can't dial any of these Gates," Sam said, sounding a little disappointed.

"Actually, after the Ancients left, the Furlings developed a way of dialing the Gates, but they never tried it." Daniel glanced at the display screen. "I have absolutely no idea what this is, but once I figure it out, we should be able to dial any Gate in any isolated system."

"How long do you think that will take?" Sam asked.

"Not sure," Daniel said quickly. "There's a ton of information here. I'll get back to you when I figure something out."

On Imperium:

After the horrible Council meeting, Orca took the elevator down to the sublevel of the Capitol Building. He climbed into his personal transport and placed a Neural Transceiver on his left temple. "Take me to the shipyard," he commanded. The small pod zipped off, following the thin metal track ahead of it.

"Clangore," Adria's voice said through the computer system. "I'm close to escaping my prison. Do not leave your planet, and kill any strangers who come through the." She paused. "Orca Oris," she said in an odd tone as though the words had a different meaning to her. Orca tried to respond, but she was gone before he could say anything.

Clangore's transport plunged through the dense and ominous fog until it emerged in a clearing. The transport dove through a hole in the ground. Moist cave walls surrounded the vehicle. Orca saw lights ahead of him; soon, his transport emerged in an immense cavern. A massive metal skeleton stood in the center of the cave. Thousands of Igne Inferi workers clambered around on the complicated metal structure. Components were being fabricated on the synthesis pads. A smile slowly crept across Orca's face. This was, after all, the destiny of his people.

The transport pod whipped around a corner and into an atrium. The hatch opened, and Orca stepped out. The air was hot and humid. Orca walked through a marble hallway, the clicking sound of his shoes echoing on the walls. He rounded a corner and opened the door to his new office. The room was smaller than he expected, but it would have to do for now. He gazed out the floor to ceiling window. The ship was absolutely magnificent. Orca couldn't let himself get distracted though. He had business to take care of.

"This is incredible!" Eli said, scanning through the database of the newly acquired ship.

"Have you found what I asked you to find?" Rush scolded.

"Right sorry." Suddenly, the computers froze and shut off.

"What did you do now Eli?" Rush said.

"Nothing…I…" Fog started pouring out of the pedestal. Words formed in the fog just as they had before. A misty voice began to speak.

_Your race has been deemed worthy to possess the incredible power of the Concordia. This ship has only one purpose: to defeat the…_ The voice stopped. _Use it wisely._

"What the hell what that?" Eli asked, his eyes wide.

"No idea," Rush said, trying to restart the ship's systems. The Tau'ri symbol glowed, and power was restored. "Atlantis this is Rush."

"Go ahead," Sam said.

"We need you to find something in the Atlantis database. It's a release code for _Destiny_ it will allow us to move the ship."

"Will do," Sam said. "Welcome back."


	5. Chapter 5

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing except my own original characters.

Chapter 5

"Here are the results of the genetic test, Your Excellency," a woman said, handing Orca a clipboard. Her sleek, shoulder-length black hair shimmered in the artificial green light. Her eyes burned a bright shade of blue.

"Thank you Ms. Acerbae."

"Of course my liege." She bowed and left the room and walked back to the genetic research laboratory. "I gave him the papers," she said to her assistant.

"Did he fall for it?"

"Of course. He is a man," Acerbae said in an evil voice. Her red lips curled into a cruel smile. "By the time Adria returns, he will be clay in my hands." She fiddled with the ring Adria had given her. It burned with an evil consuming fire.

In Adria's Prison Cell:

"Do I really need to do this again?" Morgan asked, appearing behind Adria.

"You will certainly fail again. The Ori will vanquish the Ancients. Even now, millions of souls are embracing Origin as the truth," Adria said with an evil smirk. Morgan transformed into energy and plunged into Adria's body. Her eyes glowed white for a moment, and Morgan materialized outside the cell dressed like a military officer.

"Are you alright Alecia?" she asked.

"I-I don't know. Where am I?" Adria asked, sounding thoroughly confused.

"You're safe," Morgan said reassuringly. "Let me go get General Carter."

"Morgan?" Daniel said when Morgan walked into Sam's office.

"I wiped Adria's memories again. It should have worked this time. She thinks her name is Alecia, but that's all I've told her," Morgan said. "You need to keep an eye on her. I can't keep intervening. The others are getting frustrated with me." She glanced around the room as though she expected something to happen. "I told her you would go see her General."

Daniel, Sam, and Morgan walked down to the Prison Block. "Alecia?" Sam said, approaching the cell. Adria was curled up in the corner.

"G-General?" she whimpered.

"You're alright Alecia," Daniel said. "Let's get you out of here." He scanned his identification card, and the force field deactivated. Adria was trembling as Morgan led her out of the cell.

"Take her to Sick Bay." Sam paused, checking the rank on Morgan's uniform. "Major."

"Yes ma'am."

"What the hell is she doing in here?" Jennifer said when Morgan laid Adria down on one of the beds. Sam pulled her aside.

"Morgan erased her memory again. We're calling her Alecia. Just try to calm her down," Sam said.

"I'll try, but we are not making a documentary of this no matter what Rodney says. Remember what happened with Michael?"

"It's hard to forget. Good luck Jennifer." Sam patted her on the shoulder and left with Daniel.

"Keep guard," Jennifer mouthed to Morgan.

"Wh-what's going on?" Adria asked.

"Uh." Jennifer had to come up with something quickly. "You were off world, and you were given some form of narcotic by an alien tribe. When you came back, you were hallucinating, and we had to put you in isolation."

"Off world? Aliens?"

"Don't you remember the Stargate?"

Adria shook her head. "It's a piece of alien technology we use to travel to other worlds. You're a member of SG-4," Jennifer said. Morgan glanced over her shoulder, catching Keller's eye.

"A-and I go through the…" Adria paused. "Stargate on a regular basis?"

"Yes. How much do you remember exactly?"

"I know I'm on Earth, and that I am a Lieutenant," Adria said.

"That's good. I can pull up your personal files on the computer whenever you want to read them," Jennifer said. "But for now, you need to sleep." Keller stuck a needle in Adria's arm. She quickly drifted off.

"You're doing the right thing you know," Morgan said.

"I'm not so sure. The last time we tried this, it ended up coming back and biting us in the ass," Jennifer said angrily.

"I am an Ancient. Do you not have faith in me?"

"No. Honestly I don't. You don't contact us for years, and you only get involved when the Orici is close to destroying you," Jennifer yelled. "I'm grateful for your help and all, but why now?"

"Unfortunately, that knowledge is not mine to tell."

Jennifer scoffed and walked out.

On the Nox city:

Teyla stared down into the core of the city where four massive tree trunks rose out of a forest at the base of the city. The sounds of forest creatures filled the city. "This place is brilliant," she said with a smile.

"Yeah sure," Ronon said, looking around skeptically. "I prefer something less… smelly." He was staring at a phloem tube that was carrying a thick yellow slime toward the top of the city where there was a giant canopy that covered the entire ceiling. Green light filtered down from the canopy, giving the city a slightly spooky and macabre vibe. The only sources of natural light were the circular windows that lined the exterior walls of the city. Ronon glanced out one of the windows. Atlantis glimmered in the evening sunlight. In the distance he spotted the alien ship. He remembered a Satedan Legend he heard when he was a kid. It was about a ship built by a race far older than the Ancestors. He always thought it was his crazy grandmother telling him her fables, but maybe there was some truth to them. He remembered her talking about the Ancient Race, but not like the Ancients the humans spoke of.

"Hey Teyla," Ronon said. "I'm going to go back to Atlantis." She nodded, and he walked off.

On Atlantis:

Ronon entered the computer interface room. After pressing a few buttons, the interface calibrated to the database of the new ship. "Can you show me a map of the Universe?" Ronon asked. A holographic image depicting thousands of galaxies appeared in front of him. He noticed that most of the galaxies were shaded with either red or blue, and in some cases, both. "Where is Earth?" Ronon asked. A galaxy flashed. It was un-shaded except for a small patch of red that filled a small section. "What does the shading mean?"

"Unable to answer that question at the current time," the Interface responded. Ronon slammed his fists on the control pedestal. He peered through the cloud of galaxies with a blank stare.

"Why can't you answer?" Ronon asked.

"Your race has not been classified; therefore, you can neither be trusted nor mistrusted," the Interface's artificial voice responded.

"Classified?" Ronon asked, knowing he was getting somewhere.

"As Concordant or Dysphasic…" The Interface paused as if it was not meant to answer that question.

"Can you define those two words for me please?" Ronon raised an eyebrow at the Interface's odd behavior.

"Unable to process request."

"Thought so," Ronon mused, stepping off the platform. He stepped back on the pedestal and accessed the Atlantis database. "Can you define two terms for me?"

"Of course. This Interface is designed to supply information in a user friendly format. What two terms are you looking to define?" The Interface asked in its cool almost human voice.

"Concordant and Dysphasic," Ronon said.

"Searching…." The Interface flickered as it dug through the depths of the Ancient database. "Terms found. Concordant is defined as: In agreement with, or in harmony with. Dysphasic is defined as: Out of touch with. Dysphasic has a Tau'ri definition as well. Would you like to hear it?"

"Yes," Ronon said.

"Dysphasia is an Earth medical condition in which the victim loses the ability to speak."

"Interesting. Please add these definitions to the new ship's database," Ronon ordered.

"Unable to comply."

"Why?"

"The database will not accept any new information in this area."

Ronon let out an exasperated sigh. "This stuff is always so hard to deal with." He left the Interface room.

"Hey General Carter," Ronon said, walking into Sam's office. "Can I go over to that new ship?"

"Um…" Sam thought on it for a moment. "Sure."

"Actually," Sam said. "Hold off on that. I'm going to sent you on a mission first."

"Do you want me to get the others?" Ronon asked, a hint of disappointment in his voice.

"No," Sam said. "Just be in the briefing room in one hour."

Ronon turned around and sulked out of the office.

"You want me to what?" Rodney shouted into the radio. "I can't just come back to Earth and go to some new planet."

"Rodney," Sam said. "Did you happen to notice the crate of citrus that was sent up a couple of hours ago?"

"Damn." Rodney said quietly, putting his work down. He took a quick sip of coffee. "On my way."

Sam glanced up as the Stargate began to spin. "Every time," she said with a smile.

"You'll eat this up Daniel," Sam said, entering the briefing room. Daniel drowsily looked up from his work. He hadn't slept for at least three days.

"When we first began going through the Stargate," Sam began. "We found planets that modeled nearly every early Earth culture. One culture we never encountered was early Polynesian. SG-14, take it from here." Sam sat at her usual spot and leaned back in her chair.

"Two days ago, we went to a planet that is covered almost entirely in ocean. The only land we were able to find were thousands of small island groups scattered around the planet. The people on this planet don't seem to use the Stargate at all. No one even lives on the island chair where the Gate is. It's logical to presume the Ancients seeded this world with the intent that the inhabitants would not be using the Stargate for travel. Moving on, as we began exploring the different island chains, we noticed that each one had its own unique culture, similar to the cultures of Polynesia, Micronesia, and Micronesia here on Earth. There were also some other cultures we didn't recognize. I think it's well worth a return trip," SG-14's leader said. "Lieutenant…"

"This is going to be difficult to explain," Lieutenant Robinson began. "It seems as though the original inhabitants of the planet expanded their territory to other islands by using canoes like the ones used here, but in more recent years, the last 50 or so, they have developed a new form of 'transportation.' The best way I can describe it is an instantaneous transfer of your body from one location to another through a book."

"I'm sorry?" Daniel said sleepily, furrowing his eyebrows.

"A book?" Cam said. "Do you read it or something?"

"You don't read it, and it's not really a book. It's more like a collection of stone tablets. It would be better if you see it for yourself."

"When do we leave?" Cam asked.

"Tomorrow morning. You'll be the first team out," Sam said. "Oh, Daniel. Any luck on dialing those isolated Gates?"

"Nope. I'll try to work on it more after I get some sleep," Daniel said, collecting his papers.

"Ten feet!" Eli yelled as the ship slowly sank through the air. "Five. Four. Three…"

"I think we've got the idea, Eli," Rush said, cutting Eli off. The ship made contact with the ocean.

"That wasn't so bad," TJ said, standing up. "Time to explore." She and Matt walked off.

"Don't get lost!" Rush yelled after them.

"It will take months to explore this whole thing. It's probably bigger than _Destiny_," TJ said. She looked down at her map of the ship. Three kinos floated in front of her. She pressed a button, and they all flew off in different directions. She and Matt were standing in a central atrium that branched off into five separate hallways, each leading to a different part of the ship. "Meet back here in one hour."

The ship was pristine, but it had a creepy feeling to it. The white marble floors seemed out of place, as did the occasional gothic pointed arch. TJ pulled out a roll of tape and a marker, and she began to identify and label the purpose of every console she walked by. One in particular piqued her interest. When she activated it, a collection of plastic tablets rose out of a hole in the console. Gingerly, she picked one up, afraid to break it. It activated at her touch, and it quickly took in a skin sample.

"Compatible for use," the computer said.

"Use for what?" TJ asked.

"Compatible for SRST," the computer responded with its artificial voice.

"What is SRST?" she asked.

"The acronym stands for Short Range Spatial Transport."

"No clue what the hell that means, but I'll come back." She put the tablet in her collection bag and walked off.

Matt quickly lost his way in the ship's halls. They all looked identical. His job was to evaluate the ship's military capabilities, but he had absolutely no idea where he was going. He hoped he would stumble on an armory or a weapons' platform. "Got it," he said, tracing his path on the map. Somehow he made it to the outer hull area. There was a large armory about a hundred feet away from him.

"Finally!" He let out an exasperated sigh. He was sick of being cooped up on this stupid ship. Home was so tantalizingly close, and he'd been gone for God knows how long. "Whoa," he said, stepping into the armory. The weapons were ridiculously advanced, and it would take him forever to learn how to use each one. That's what the scientists were for. He picked up a gun, and a target descended from the ceiling. He pulled what he thought was the trigger; a large ball of energy fired from the weapon, annihilating the target.

"Damn!" he said, carefully putting the gun in his collection bag. He grabbed one of every type of weapon in the room. "I feel like a walking bomb," he said, leaving the room.


	6. Chapter 6

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing except my own original characters.

Chapter 6

"Chevron seven locked!" The Stargate sprung to life.

"SG-1 and SG-14, you are clear to disembark," Sam said. The two teams stepped through the Gate. The air on the other side was sticky and humid. As John's eyes adjusted, he saw forested mountains jutting out of the land mere feet from the ocean. A cool breeze wafted through the air; the smell of seawater came with it. A Puddle Jumper sat in the grass near the Gate.

"Where are these tablets?" Daniel asked Lieutenant Robinson.

"The first one we found was in a group of stones about a mile from here," Robinson replied. The group walked off in the direction Robinson pointed.

"Birthing stones," Daniel said when the first arrived at the outcropping of rocks.

"What?" Robinson asked.

"These are birthing stones. The Hawaiian royalty would go to them to give birth. There aren't any complete sets on Earth that I know of." He paced around for a moment. "Does anyone have any fruit or something like that?" Daniel asked.

"I have a banana," Cam said. He handed it to Daniel who ripped a leaf off a nearby tree. Daniel wrapped the banana in the leaf and carefully placed it on a rock near the center of the group. A light drizzle of rain came from seemingly nowhere. "That's a good sign," Daniel said. "We can go in now." He stepped into the only stone structure in the outcropping. The air inside was cool. In the center of the structure there was a stone pedestal. On the pedestal sat a stack of stone tablets.

"Touch it," Robinson said. Daniel did as he said. The moment he touched the stone, a tingling sensation ran through is body. A thin water-like film covered the stone. Slowly, and image appeared in the water. It looked like a satellite image of an island.

"What do I do now?" Daniel asked.

"First, everyone needs to get in a circle around the center of the room, and then you need to place your right palm in the puddle," Robinson explained.

SG-1 and SG-4 stood in a circle around Daniel. Cautiously, he placed his palm in the puddle. There was a slight delay, and then the room spun. The group spiraled into the center. An instant later, they emerged in a similar structure with an identical pedestal in the middle.

"Everyone alright?" John asked, looking around the circle. Everyone nodded.

"We are not alone here," Teyla said, peering out of the entrance. People moved about. John tensed when he saw a woman walking toward the structure.

"Welcome back Robinson," she said, embracing the Lieutenant. "We have been awaiting your return." The woman was exuberant and welcoming. "Please come to the village with me." The group followed her. On this part of the planet, the sun was setting. Villagers rushed around, putting everything in its proper place. "You are welcome to stay the night with us," the woman said, smiling. John and Cam exchanged a glance.

"How are you doing Alecia?" Jennifer asked when Adria woke up.

"I still feel really strange," she said, pushing her hair out of her eyes. "Something just seems wrong about all of this."

"Do you want to tell me about it?" Jennifer asked, sitting on the bed.

"It…it's like I have all this power inside me, but I have no idea why it's there, or how I can use it. Am…am I a mutant or something?"

"Not at all." Jennifer placed her hand on Adria's. She quickly glanced over her shoulder to make sure the Anti-Prior Device was still functioning. "It's probably just a side-effect of the sedatives and the amnesia."

Adria began to cry. Jennifer could sense the suppressed Ascended Being inside Adria trying to break free of Morgan's power. "It'll be alright," Jennifer said reassuringly. "J…just calm down." Her eyes widened when she saw the metal on the bed grow red hot and melt. She screamed, and Morgan stepped into the room.

"Everything alright in here Doctor," Morgan said, narrowing her eyes.

"Yeah…yeah I think so." She stood up. "I can't sedate her again, but I think her Ascended form is trying to break through again," Jennifer whispered in Morgan's ear.

"I have an idea. Tell her the power she is feeling is coming from a parasite that is trying to kill her. It caused her memory loss, and she'll die if she doesn't fight it. There is a human part to her. That's what makes the Orici special," Morgan said, keeping an eye on Adria who had curled into a fetal position and was heavily sobbing.

"Alecia?" Jennifer said, gently putting her hand on Adria's soldier. "You're going to be alright. The power you're feeling is coming from a parasite inside you. We haven't figured out how to remove it yet, so you need to fight it until we do. Do you understand?"

Adria nodded. "I'll be right here if you need me." Jennifer walked over to her microscope and pretended to look at a tissue sample. She sneakily looked at Morgan who was intently staring at Adria, making sure nothing bad happened.

"Doctor Keller please report to the Gate Room," Sam said through the radio. "Major Gustav, make sure Lieutenant Porter is not disturbed."

Jennifer chuckled. "On my way. Major Gustav will make sure everything stays calm." She winked at Morgan on the way out.

The Stargate was active, and a Puddle Jumper sat in the center of the room. "General?" Jennifer asked, approaching General Carter.

"I need you to go to the planet with SG-1 and SG-14. They're planning on staying the night, and I want you there in case anything happens."

"General. I need to stay here with Adria," Jennifer said.

Sam considered what Jennifer said. "TJ. Go through the Gate with supplies. Jennifer you stay here and tend to Ad…" Sam paused. "With Lieutenant Porter."

"Yes Ma'am," TJ said, standing up.

"Thanks you General," Jennifer said. A few minutes later, the Puddle Jumper left. The crew from the _Concordia_ beamed into the Gate Room. Immediately afterward, a team of scientists beamed over to the ship to begin examining its capabilities. They roamed deeper and deeper into the core of the ship.

"What is this?" Zelenka said, walking into the very center of the ship. The force of gravity contorted around him. He felt himself being pulled toward a glowing object floating in the air in front of him. An instant later, he was pulled of his feet and plummeted toward the ball of light.

On Imperium

"Are we ready?" Uvae asked, a twinge of anticipation in her voice.

"Indeed we are, Ms. Acerbae," her assistant said coldly. "The ship is near completion."

"It's incredible how quickly we were able to construct the ship. Oh that reminds me." A smile crept onto Uvae's lips. "Are the children ready?"

"Yes. Just recently collected," the assistant said.

"Excellent. Then we will proceed." Uvae and her assistant walked out of the cold damp room, their shoes clicking on the metal floor. "Your Excellency," Uvae said, bowing in Clangore's presence.

"Ms. Acerbae?" Clangore wasn't expecting his dark haired scientist this early. He hadn't planned on starting up the ship this soon.

"It's time for your treatment." Uvae lied.

"Oh. I didn't realize the time passed so quickly," Clangore said, sounding convinced.

Uvae walked toward him, and tenderly suck a needle in his arm. Her sleek hair glowed purple in the office light as she steadily injected Clangore with what he thought was his medicine. At the last instant he realized what was happening, but it was too late, and he entered a catatonic state. Uvae's assistant placed a device that resembled a Goa'uld Neural Interface on Clangore's temple. The modified interface quickly began changing Clangore's memories. Uvae and her assistant waited patiently. It would take some time and several treatments to complete the process. Until then, Uvae would have undeniable control of the Inferi Empire. She pushed Orca's slumped body out of the smooth leather chair. For only a moment, she savored the feeling of sitting at the Emperor's desk, and then she remembered exactly why she did this. She opened a secret panel on the desk. The Oris simultaneously dialed all the planets in the Inferi Empire. Uvae gestured to her assistant who bowed her head and left the room. Uvae began her address. "Attention citizens of the Inferi Empire. Our beloved and benevolent Emperor Clangore Buccinae Orca has fallen ill. I have temporarily taken his place, and we will continue with the activation of our first space craft." She nervously fiddled with the ring. A million thoughts ran through her head. She had no idea what would happen in the next minutes. She would probably be dead in the next hour, but the ship would already be functioning, so that didn't matter. "We will now shift to our camera in the construction bay where we are preparing to activate the ship." A harrowing scene appeared on the television screens of the trillions of Inferi citizens. Jaws dropped, screams were raised, and some even fainted. Thousands of one year old children were corralled in a heavily guarded pen. The mouth of the giant beast that was the Inferi ship opened, revealing a cold black, soul-sucking portal. "You see, people of the Inferi Empire, this ship runs on souls." The words were shocking, and surely there would be repercussions. "To represent the youth and infancy of the Inferi Empire, we have chosen to activate this ship using the souls. Now, let us usher in a new era for this marvelous empire!" The moment Uvae ended her address, the gunfire began. It was quick and precise. A pure white mist began to gather above the corral. The black void in the gut of the ship greedily sucked the mist up. The ship slowly came to life. A new portion lit up every time a gunshot was fired.

Uvae's personal guard appeared behind her. "The ship is ready ma'am."

"Then by all means, let's go." Uvae draped her fur coat over Orca's unconscious body, and she left the office. When she reached the flight deck, the stench of rotting flesh was already filling the air. "Get those out of here." She waved her hand casually at the young corpses. They were simply batteries in her mind. _Just the power for __**my**__ empire,_ she reminded herself.

"Exactly how many islands are there on this planet?" Cam asked.

"Probably millions. Each chain has its own 'piko' which is accessible by the stone tablets," Robinson answered.

"What's a piko?" John asked.

"It's a Hawaiian word. Literally translated, it means navel, but it can also mean the center of something. It represents a connection to the mother," Daniel said.

"I apologize for interrupting," a woman said. "Please. We have prepared a welcome ceremony for you. This way!" She smiled and gestured toward a mountain. A long line of people was already snaking up its craggy slopes. The team followed the woman. They soon reached an immense cave. The fatty smell of pig wafted through the air.

The cave was lit by torches. It looked like the hollow inside of a volcano. At the top of the cave there was an opening that let in a small amount of sunlight. The celebration began promptly. Daniel was furiously taking notes and video, trying to absorb as much information as he could. For all he knew, he would never come to this cave again.

"You can do that later," Cam said. "Besides, it's rude."

"Fine," Daniel said in an exasperated tone. He sat with the others around a fire pit that was directly beneath the hole. For at least three hours everyone celebrated. SG-1 felt a little out of place, but nonetheless, they felt welcome. Daniel caught himself staring at the walls a few times, but he pulled his eyes away. Then, one time, he recognized something: a familiar symbol. It was a Gate Address…


	7. Chapter 7

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing except my own original characters.

Chapter 7

SG-1's trip to the island planet was very short, especially after Daniel's discovery. They quickly made their way back to Earth. Rodney was glad to resume his work on making a ZPM.

"Look at these," Daniel said to Sam.

"They're all eight symbol addresses," she said, analyzing the recording.

"We should dial them," John said. "Who knows, we might find another Atlantis on the other end."

"We'll start as soon as you decipher that Furling program to dial the isolated Gates," Sam said.

"Right. I'll get right on it." Daniel said. He took the transporter down to the alternate gate room. The first-gen Gate spun and made the connection to the Lunar Base. Daniel stepped through the Gate. He quickly proceeded to his lab on the Nox city. The code was waiting for him when he arrived. Daniel wanted to get as much work done as possible before Rodney came back.

"Status of translation program?" Daniel asked.

"99% Complete," the computer responded.

"How long until it is complete?" he asked.

"Ten minutes."

"I guess I'll wait then."

Adria woke with a start. Jennifer quickly came to her side. "Are you alright?" she asked.

"Yeah. I think so," Adria said. Morgan glanced over but looked away quickly. Adria had a blank expression on her face, and it was clear that her memories were still suppressed.

"Do you want to walk around Alecia?" Jennifer said.

"That would be nice," she responded.

"Would you like me to come?" Morgan asked.

"I think we'll be fine, Major Gustav," Jennifer said. She and Adria left the infirmary.

"Have you ever had a feeling that something just doesn't feel right?" Adria asked.

"Yeah of course. Do you feel that way?" Jennifer was truly concerned; she hoped she didn't sound too worried.

"A little. I just feel like this is all a crazy dream that I will wake up from. Do you think my memory will ever fully come back?"

"That might be a result of all the medication. I hope your memory will come back, but quite honestly, I don't know. Wanna grab something to eat?"

"Sure," Adria said. It was mid-afternoon; the sun glistened on the water's surface. Camile joined them.

"How are you feeling, Lieutenant?" she asked, setting her tray on the table.

"Better. More at home," Adria responded.

"That's good. On a matter of business, you are being transferred."

"What do you mean?" Adria asked.

"You are being given a special role on the Lunar Base," Camile said.

"Is that really wise?" Jennifer asked. "What if she has another relapse? I won't be there to treat her."

"The reassignment will take place when we are confident she has fully recovered from the alien drug," Camile said. "We need to man the base. Right now it barely has enough people to run."

"I-I guess that would be alright. I want to stay here for now though."

"That is perfectly fine," Camile said.

Uvae's new ship soared silently in orbit of Imperium. She stared out the immense main window. She was one of the first people to see her world from orbit. As a preliminary test, they were going to make a jump to a nearby star. In the three days since the ship had been operational, Uvae and her crew learned thousands of new things about astronomy. They never understood that the tiny specs of light in the sky were actually suns, like Imperium's, possibly with planets.

"We are ready to power the Hyperdrive," an engineer said.

"Let's take it slowly," Uvae replied. She wanted to get going, but at the same time, she didn't want to destroy her brand new ship. Even though she had hundreds of workers who were figuring out what stuff did, she indulged her curiosity; she poked around in the weapons' system. There were three different kinds. The first two were certainly impressive: drones and beam weapons. The third, though, was something truly incredible. It was the ship's main weapon, and, from what Uvae could tell, it was extraordinarily powerful, and it could affect an entire planet. She wasn't sure what it did, but she was itching to try it on an uninhabited world. The Inferi Empire had no enemies, so there was no need to make them so readily, yet.

"Engaging Hyperdrive," the engineer said. Without so much as a bump, the ship jumped into Hyperspace. About fifteen minutes later, the ship dropped out. The ship settled into orbit above a gas giant. Uvae didn't understand how a planet could be made entirely of gas, but the scientists insisted it was possible. No one had ever proved it before, though.

"Test the weapons," Uvae said. The engineer powered all the systems except that of the main weapon. It required too much power. The drones fired into the planet's atmosphere. Pockets of hydrogen ignited when the drones exploded. An especially large explosion slightly rocked the ship.

"What is that?" Uvae asked, pointing at a small, irregularly shaped moon orbiting the planet.

"A space rock in orbit around the gas planet," a scientist said.

"Interesting. Can we shoot it?" Uvae asked.

"Indeed we can," the scientist said with a cold smile. The beam weapons charged and fired at the rock. The weapons sheered the rock away like it was made of butter. Uvae's eyes widened at the sight of this. Her advisor approached her.

"Shall we establish an…" She looked at the tablet she was holding to find the right word.  
"An outpost?"

"That depends. Are there any habitable planets in this system?" Uvae asked.

"Negative," the scientist said.

"Let's move on to another system then." Uvae smiled evilly.

Ronon was perturbed by the new ship. He and Teyla were put on an exploration team shortly after they returned from the island planet. His grandmother's stories played in his head over and over again.

Ronon and Teyla were walking near the core of the ship, when suddenly, Teyla stopped.

"Do you hear that?" she asked.

"No," Ronon replied, giving her a skeptical look.

"It sounded like yelling." Tessa cautiously approached a door.

"HELP ME!" someone yelled from behind it.

"It's Zelenka," Ronon said. He opened the door, and there was Zelenka holding on for dear life.

"Finally!" he yelled. "I've been here for hours."

"How are you still holding on?" Ronon asked.

"I don't know. Just get me out of here!"

Ronon and Teyla carefully stepped toward Zelenka. Soon, they could feel the change in gravity. Teyla reached forward to grab Zelenka's hand, but she slipped. Ronon grabbed her feet. She stretched out. Somehow, she grabbed Zelenka's hand and pulled him to safety.

"What is this?" Teyla asked.

"From what I gathered, it's the main engine," Zelenka said.

"What? How is _that _an engine?" Ronon asked.

"I'm not sure. I need scientists to study it. Bridge, this is Dr. Zelenka, can you please send Eli, Volker, and Park down here?"

"Right away," Young replied.

"I'm assuming this is the Coaxial Flexion Drive Rodney was yammering about."

"And that is?" Teyla asked.

"From what Rodney said, it is the fastest form of propulsion system _ever_," Radek said.

"What does it do?" Ronon asked.

"Again, I'm not really sure, but it supposedly transports the ship from one location to another instantaneously."

"Doesn't a….uh…Wormhole Drive do the same thing?" Ronon said.

"Yes. I honestly don't understand the difference. Maybe these fine people can help me."

"Wow," Eli said, his jaw dropping a little.

"Careful," Ronon said. "It'll pull you toward it."

"Is that what I think it is?" Volker asked.

"Yeah," Lisa replied.

"It's a gravity anchor," Eli said, his voice thick with excitement.

Zelenka, Ronon, and Teyla all looked confused. "A what?" Teyla asked.

"A gravity anchor," Eli said. "It uses quantum gravity to hold the ship in place without affecting regular matter."

"Then why did it pull me toward it?" Zelenka asked.

"We used it to get here," Lisa said. She was rapidly jotting down notes. "It's probably charging, so it's affecting regular matter."

"How does holding the ship still work as propulsion?" Teyla asked. Her eyebrow raised in confusion.

"That's the part we don't understand yet," Volker said.

"We think we encountered something similar only much larger scale. _Destiny_ was thrown across the Universe by a sling-shot made of planets," Lisa said.

"Was that really the same though?" Volker asked.

"I am totally lost," Ronon whispered to Teyla.

"I am as well. Shall we continue?" she whispered back. "Thank you very much for attempting to explain this to us," Teyla said to the scientists. She was met by silence. "Ronon and I will continue to explore the ship. We will radio you if we find anything interesting." Again, silence. She and Ronon continued down the halls.

"I think it was the same thing," Eli said. He was aware of Teyla speaking, but he had no clue what she was saying; he just nodded. "There was the control planet that jumped across the Universe, pulling us with it."

"And all the energy came from the cores of the other planets," Lisa said.

"Yeah, but how did the planet just jump across the entire Universe?" Volker sounded a little flustered.

"That's probably what Coaxial Flexion is," Eli said.

"Charging cycle complete," a computerized voice said. "Ship capable of CF jump."

"That's probably not a wise idea," Lisa said.

"Can you tell us how the Coaxial Flexion Drive works?" Zelenka asked.

"Indeed. Read this tablet." A slot in the wall opened, and a piece of glass slid out. Eli carefully held it. The four scientists began to read. Immediately, holographic diagrams appeared above the screen, and a voice began explaining the system.

"This is the Coaxial Flexion Drive. It works by creating quantum tension between two gravity anchors. One anchor always remains inside the ship, but the other is sent by quantum wormhole to the destination of the ship. Because the two anchors are entangled on the quantum level, they will create tension. When the moving anchor reaches its destination, a mere millionth of a second after it leaves its origin, its quantum gravity field activates, holding it in place. Then, the anchor inside the ship deactivates, and the ship is almost instantaneously pulled across space," the voice explained.

"Well that's not complicated," Lisa said facetiously.

"How does this system get around relativity?" Zelenka asked.

"The stationary anchor produces an anti-relativity field," the computer said.

"An anti-relativity field?" Volker said. "That sounds ridiculous."

"Time passes equally inside and outside of the ship because of the field."

"That's a nice little solution to that problem," Eli said. "Rush can you come down here?"

"Yes Eli," Rush said in an exasperated tone. "I will be right down."

Volker continued to ask questions to the computer. "How is this system powered?"

"This ship is powered by a zero-point generator located here. A map appeared on the wall. It gave directions to the generator room.

"I think I'll go check that out," Volker said.

"I think I got it!" Rodney shouted as the ZPM rose from the pedestal, completed.

"Control Room, this is McKay. The Zed-PM is complete!" Rodney gingerly picked up the powerful power source and carried it up to the power-room. Sam was waiting for him.

"Ready to try it out?" she asked.

"Sure." Rodney walked to the central pedestal, pressed a few buttons, and the three ZPM's emerged. Rodney replaced one with his newly manufactured ZPM. It slid down into the pedestal. Rodney smiled as he examined the computer readout. Power levels were stable.

"Fantastic!" Sam said, hugging Rodney.

"I'll start right away on making more. This is literally going to change _everything!_" Rodney was nearly shouting. He replaced the third ZPM, and he returned to his lab with the new one. He commissioned the computer to make at least one for every ship currently in operation. This task would take months for the computer to complete. A new ZPM would be completed every six days or so. Rodney wrote down a list of ships. _Daedalus, Odyssey, Hammond, Apollo, Atlas, Aura…_ Those last two would need two.

What does everyone think so far?


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Teyla and Ronon wandered around the ship, randomly checking rooms. They found the crew quarters, mess hall, and one of the main weapons' platforms.

"Hey Teyla," Ronon said. "Let's try this room." Ronon waved his hand in front of the door, and it silently slid open. "Whoa…"

"This is quite impressive," Teyla said. The walls of the room formed one giant screen. It displayed a timeline of the Universe.

"Something's weird," Ronon said. He selected the map tab. A map of the entire Universe was displayed around the room. Ronon told it to zoom in on the Milky Way; he noticed an interesting feature. Every Stargate was displayed as a red dot. Teyla selected one, and the address popped up.

"Show me the Pegasus Galaxy," Teyla said. The map panned to her home galaxy. Again, every Stargate was displayed.

"This could be useful," Ronon said. "General Carter. You should really come over here."

"On my way," Carter said.

"Are these other galaxies with Stargates?" Teyla asked.

"I think so. Didn't Dr. Jackson find new eight symbol addresses?"

"Indeed he did. Perhaps they lead to these other galaxies," Teyla said.

"Hey guys. What did you…wow," Sam said, entering the room. "Daniel needs to see this."

At the same time, in another part of the galaxy, the same room was discovered on Uvae's ship. She had chosen to name it the _Dysphasia_. The name just came to her, seemingly out of nowhere. She did like the name, however.

"This is all very interesting," she said. "But, aren't these Orises in open space?"

"That is what we believed, but now we have sufficient reason to know that each one is on a planet," a scientist said.

"Preposterous!" Uvae said. "Show me our empire." The map zoomed in to show the Inferi Empire. There were six worlds. Uvae was somehow able to name them all without trying.

"Here's Imperium." She pointed to the central system around which the other five were located.

"What is this one?" the scientist asked.

"That is Draco, the forbidden world," Uvae replied. "It is rumored to be our planet of origin, but no one can say for sure."

"Has no one gone?" the scientist asked.

"No. Its Oris address has been removed from our obelisk, making it impossible to dial."

"Shall we go to a system with an Oris to see if they are floating in space?"

"Indeed we shall. Let's test the…what is it called?"

"Coaxial Flexion Drive?" the scientist said.

"Yes, Uvae said. We shall use it to go to this system." She pointed to a planet with two Gates…

"Here are the new assignments Mr. Woolsey," Camile said. Her flight to Washington had been quite unpleasant, and she was not looking forward to hearing Woolsey's biting words.

"Thank you very much Ms. Wray. I will review these and get back to you. In the meantime, I have a job for you here," he said.

"And that is?" she asked.

"I would like you to facilitate the organization of an international coalition that will deliberate upon the location of a neutral base in which the Stargate will be placed," Woolsey said, his demeanor calm.

"I'm sorry?" Camile said. Her face grew red. She understood the implications of what he was saying.

"You heard me," Woolsey replied. "The IOA and the President have decided it is time to make the Gate internationally accessible."

"Without the consent of the program head? That seems a little shady Mr. Woolsey," Camile said. Her eyes narrowed like a fox's.

"The SGC will still be allowed to use the Gate; however, they will not have exclusive access to it," Woolsey said.

"Need I remind you, we are at war with the Lucian Alliance?" Camile replied.

"I am well aware of this, but other nations are putting pressure on us to make the Stargate public property. Also, since we were given the Nox city, we haven't seen much of the Lucian Alliance."

"They're probably building up a fleet. No doubt they'll dial the Gate to prevent us from leaving," Camile said. She could feel the anger welling up inside her. She couldn't believe she used to _be_ one of these annoying bureaucrats.

"We have no proof of this," Woolsey said.

"Fine. I'll do it," Camile said resentfully. She sulked off, wishing _Destiny_ was still stranded on the other side of the Universe.

Daniel worked tirelessly at the Furling dialing program. It was one of the most complicated macros he had ever seen. When the Gates performed their automatic system updates, the six addresses that could not be dialed were locked out by the DHD's. Earth's new DHD on Atlantis was no exception. Daniel also discovered that it would be impossible to make a connection between a first-gen Gate and a second-gen Gate unless connecting to _Destiny._

The computer beeped when the translation was entirely complete. "Forward this program to the Atlantis DHD." The macro sent. "Sam, this is Daniel," he said into his radio. "I sent a modified Furling dialing macro to the DHD on Atlantis."

"Excellent. How long will it take to install?" Sam asked.

"First of all, we have to wait for the next Gate update, and then, it will take about eight hours to install, so we're looking at over a day in total."

"Good. Come over to the _Concordia_. There's something here you _need_ to see," Sam said.

"Right away," Daniel said. He walked through the mossy corridors to the Gate Room. "Dial Atlantis," he said.

"Right away," the Gate techie said. The Gate spun. It activated, and a moment later, Daniel was standing in the auxiliary Gate Room on Atlantis.

"_Concordia,_ this is Dr. Jackson. One to beam to General Carter's coordinates." The ship's transporters locked onto him. He was speechless when he saw the room in which Sam, Ronon, and Teyla were standing.

"Are those the eight-symbol addresses I found?" he asked.

"We think so," Sam said.

"What's in this galaxy?" Daniel asked, pointing to a galaxy that appeared to be pulsating.

"This galaxy was the first galaxy to form," the computer responded.

"That's interesting," Daniel said.

"We always assumed there was no 'first' galaxy, but several which formed simultaneously," Sam said, scratching her forehead.

"Are there any Stargates in this galaxy?" Teyla asked.

"None that are recognized by this system," the computer replied.

"What do you mean?" Ronon asked.

"There are Stargates that are not connected to each other through a dialing device. In the selected galaxy, there may be any number of old Gates, or there may be none at all," the computer said.

"Scan the Gate on this planet's Moon," Sam said.

"Scanning complete." A holographic image of the Gate appeared in the center of the room.

"Can you locate other gates like this one nearby?"

"Negative. Gates such as this one are not connected through a dialing device," the computer said.

"Damn," Sam said. "It would be incredible to _go _to the first galaxy ever created."

"This ship is more than capable of going there," Daniel said.

"Yeah, but I'm not quite comfortable with it yet," Sam said. "I don't want a team to get stranded out there, beyond help. Who knows what kind of insanely advanced aliens have evolved there."

"True. Should we start looking through the eight-symbol addresses?" Daniel asked.

"Sure. Go ahead," Sam replied. Daniel needed to get acquainted with the new ship as well as the _Destiny's_ crew, so he took the Transporter to the bridge.

"Hello Dr. Jackson," Young said. "Welcome to the _Concordia._"

"Thanks. Do you have a spare station where I can work?" Daniel asked.

"Right over here," Rush answered, directing Daniel to an open console. Daniel sat down and pulled out his list of eight-symbol addresses, and he began to work.

"Why isn't the engine working?" Uvae shouted. Her face was cherry red, and it looked like she was about to explode with rage.

"I-I don't know," an engineer said. "The computer tells me there is not enough power to make a jump."

"How do we get more power?" Uvae asked.

"It needs to charge," the engineer replied. He was pale and terrified. Uvae could kill him any second.

"How long will that take?" Uvae asked angrily.

"At least a day, but maybe more. Some of the systems are still not operational," the engineer said.

"Then we will use the Hyperdrive to return to Imperium. Perhaps more child tributes will solve the problem."

The little color that was left in the engineer's face drained, leaving him as white as a sheet. "W-what?" He asked.

"Perhaps if more children are sacrificed for the life of the empire, the ship might gain more power like it did the first time," Uvae said in a cruel tone.

"I don't think that will work. The ship required souls for the initial powering, but that began the process that is now taking place. Let's just wait in this system for a day. It is safe here," the engineer said desperately.

"Alright," Uvae said. She narrowed her eyes and sat back down. "If it takes _any _longer, your soul will be the first reaped to power the ship."

"Think we should take a break now?" TJ asked.

"Rush and Carter want this stuff cataloged by the end of the day," Matt replied. He threw another gun into the weapons' pile.

"You guys want some help?" Vala asked as she passed by.

"That'd be great," TJ replied, "but aren't you off to place a new outpost?"

"I don't leave for two hours."

With Vala's help, TJ and Matt sorted out all of the things they collected in under two hours. "We're taking a break before we go back to look for more," TJ said.

"Deal," Matt said. They left, and Vala met up with Cam.

"Ready to go?" he asked.

"Yes sir," she replied, saluting. The Gate dialed. When they stepped through on the other side, they found an arid world.

"This is just lovely," Cam said, his voice rich with sarcasm.

"What's that?" Vala asked. Cam looked to where she was pointing.

"Looks like someone beat us here."

"Are you ready to receive the outpost supplies, Colonel?" Walter asked from Atlantis.

"Yeah. Go ahead and send it through," Cam replied. A moment later, an unmanned Jumper emerged from the Gate. "Thanks Walter. Vala, let's go check that thing out." The Jumper slowly followed them as they walked toward the object.

"It looks like an outpost," Vala said.

"Weird," Cam replied. He squinted his eyes in order to cut the glare of the sun. "There are a few people walking around."

"Alliance?" Vala asked.

"If they are, they'll turn tail at the sight of out Jumper," Cam replied.

"Hello there," Vala shouted at the people. They immediately paid attention to her.

"Who are you?" one of them asked. They were wearing drab gray uniforms. Definitely not Lucian Alliance.

"We're from a lovely little world called—." Cam cut her off before she could finish.

"What she meant to say is that we are travelers from another world," Cam said.

"Interesting. My name is Daemonium Deformis," he said. "What are your names?"

"My name is Vala."

"And my name is Cam."

"It is a pleasure to meet you," the man said. "Why are you here?"

"For the same reason you are," Cam answered. "To establish an outpost."

"Ah. My people just began to explore space. Are you new as well?"

The question sounded odd to Vala and Cam, but they answered nonetheless.

"We've been at it for a long time. Where are you from?" Vala asked.

"A planet called Imperium," Daemonium responded.

"And where is that?" Cam asked.

"I'm not really sure. Our ship moves so fast, and there is no way to tell where we are going. I'm sure Empress Uvae has the best intentions." Daemonium's thin pale lips curled into something that resembled a smile. His pointed ears and sharply ridged forehead reminded Cam of a Romulan from Star Trek.

"Empress Uvae?" Vala asked. "Who is that?"

"She is the supreme leader of our empire. We call ourselves the Igne Inferi," Daemonium said.

"The fires of hell?" Vala asked in disbelief.

"What?" Cam asked.

"That's the Ancient translation of that name," Vala said.

"I do not understand," Daemonium said.

"We have a language where we're from known as Ancient, and the words 'Igne Inferi' mean 'the fires of hell,'" Adria said.

Cam sounded concerned when he asked, "Do you know of anyone called a Prior?"

"This word is unfamiliar to me," Daemonium replied. A look of confusion was quickly flooding his face.

"That's a relief," Vala said. "You said you have a ship?"

"Indeed we do," Daemonium pointed up. The ship was so massive; it was visible from the planet's surface.

"Wow. Hang on…" Cam said. "Is it me or does that ship look exactly like…"

"The _Concordia_," Vala said.

"What is the _Concordia_?" Daemonium asked.

"It's one of our ships that just happens to resemble your ship," Cam said.

"Our ship is called _Dysphasia_," Daemonium said. Vala and Cam exchanged a glance.

"I think we better be off," Vala said. "It was a pleasure meeting you; hopefully we'll meet up again someday."

"Safe travels," Daemonium said. He waved at Vala and Cam as they walked away. The Jumper followed them back to the Gate. They glanced over their shoulders to make sure Daemonium Deformis hadn't followed them.

"General Carter, this is Mitchell," Cam said as soon as the Gate deactivated. "We have some interesting intel…


	9. Chapter 9

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing except my own original characters

Chapter 9

"I've heard those words before," Ronon said. "Concordant and Dysphasic."

"Really. Where?" Sam asked.

"I was doing some research in the Atlantis Interface, and I came across those words," Ronon said.

"What were you researching?" Teyla asked.

"My grandmother used to tell stories about a race of aliens far older than the Ancestors, and the _Concordia_ reminded me of her stories. I used the Atlantis Interface to access the portion of _Concordia's_ database. I looked up a map of the Universe similar to this one, except almost all of the galaxies were shaded either red or blue. I asked what the shading meant, and the Interface told me it was a classification system: Concordant or Dysphasic."

"What do those words mean?" Sam asked.

"In touch with and out of contact with," Daniel said, entering the Map Room as it was now being called. "I did some searching, and I came to the save conclusion."

"Their ship was named _Dysphasia._ And ours is named _Concordia,_" Vala noted. "Think it's a connection?"

"Possibly," Daniel said. He felt something in his pocket; he pulled it out. It was the memory device that came through the Stargate shortly before Morgan brought a brainwashed Adria to Atlantis. The hologram activated.

"That's the ship!" Vala said.

"Interesting," Daniel said.

"Indeed it is," Morgan said, entering the room.

"Where did you come from?" Daniel asked.

"I came over as soon as I heard. The Others have given me permission to assist you with this," she said.

"That's surprising," Sam said.

"It is. The Others have determined you are the only ones who can solve this problem," Morgan said disdainfully. "I cannot give you all the answers you seek; however, I can help you with translation and interpretation. Your definition of Concordant and Dysphasic are, for the most part, accurate, but I will do some elaboration. A race that is Concordant is a race that complies with the standards required for Divine Ascension."

"And that is?" Daniel asked.

"The plane of existence above the one on which my people reside," Morgan said.

"How does one attain that?" Teyla asked.

"None of us are sure, but we know some have done it. The Divinea. We believe them to be the first species in the Universe. The Others are unsure if they evolved here. Many believe they came from another Universe. They became extremely advanced, and they achieved Ascension many millions of years ago. Because they were the first species to Ascend, they set all of the rules involved in Ascension. Theoretically, it is possible to Ascend if an organism's mind evolves to a certain point; however, the Divinea created the moral and ethical standards involved. They separated their plane of existence from the one my people occupy."

"Alright," Ronon said. "What does Dysphasic mean?"

"That is slightly more complicated," Morgan said. "A Dysphasic species is one, such as the Ori. They are, for the most part, evil, and they kill and enslave to gain the power to move to another plane of existence."

"That's more complicated?" Daniel asked.

"In the way in which they attain Ascension in the first place. There are a multitude of different ways in which this is possible," Morgan replied. "Ori Ascended _before_ becoming evil; however, we believe there is a race which evolved concurrently with the Divinea. They were…are called the Inferi."

"That name rings a bell," Vala said. She and Cam exchanged a nervous glance.

"Indeed. That is the precise reason the Others have permitted me to help you," Morgan said. "We created an isolated group of Gates many years ago as part of an experiment. Each planet was equipped with an obelisk which would dial only the planets in the isolated system. Once the species achieved a significant level of development, the obelisk would be able to dial addresses outside of the isolated network. Anyway, the Igne Inferi, then called Human Species 81422, were seeded on one of the worlds. It was a planet almost entirely made of water. There were thousands of island chains spread across the surface. None of the humans were seeded anywhere near the Stargate. We watched them diligently until the day they were able to journey to the Stargate. They used the obelisk, and within a century, they had colonized the other five worlds."

"Wait," Cam said. "Island world?"

"Indeed," Morgan said.

"We've been there."

"That is not possible. One cannot dial into an isolated system such as this one. The obelisks prevent it," Morgan said.

"I don't remember there being an obelisk on that planet," Daniel said.

"Interesting." Morgan was certainly perturbed.

"Perhaps the obelisk was destroyed or hidden somewhere?" Teyla asked.

"Possibly," Morgan said. "Did you find anything else odd?"

"It's funny that you ask that. I found an entire wall full of eight-symbol addresses that don't lead to Pegasus," Daniel said.

"I was hoping you would see those," Morgan smiled. "When that volcano was created, I ensured the addresses would be etched into the rock. The Others figured you would never go to that system."

"Guess they were wrong," Ronon said.

"What are those Gates for?" Sam asked.

"Now this will take a _very _long time to explain," Morgan said.

"I think it's time we get you assigned to some quarters, Alecia," Keller said. She had been taking daily walks with Adria to make sure seeing other parts of the city didn't trigger the return of her memories.

"Really?" There was a hint of excitement in Adria's voice. Almost like a bird being set free from its cage.

"Yep," Keller replied. "You're not fit for duty yet, but I'm confident your symptoms won't return."

"That's comforting. When do you think I'll be able to return to duty?" Adria asked.

"I'm not sure. Hopefully in a few weeks." Jennifer smiled kindly.

"Good. I'm really looking forward to it. I finally feel right here."

"I'm glad to hear that," Jennifer said. The two of them continued their walk in silence. When they reached the Control Room, John and Rodney were the only two people there.

"Dr. Keller. Lieutenant Porter. How are you doing?" John asked.

"Better, Sir. Thanks for asking," Adria said.

"That's good. Ms. Wray has submitted both your room and team assignments."

"Ahead of schedule," Jennifer said, taking the clipboard from John. "When do you think Camile will be back?" she asked.

"I'm not sure," John said. "She told me she could be tied up in Washington for at least the next day."

"All right. Thanks John," Jennifer said. She and Adria left, and Jennifer showed Adria to her quarters. "Call me if you need _anything_."

Camile came up with a list of people in less than an hour. Most of them were people she had come in contact with over the years. None were personal friends. She knew that would never turn out well. "Shall we begin?" she asked.

"Indeed we should," a Chinese representative said.

"All right then," Camile said. "We should begin by deciding if the Stargate should be moved at all."

"We have been told that it _will_ be moved," the French representative said.

"Let me rephrase. The Stargate will be moved; however, when should it be moved?"

"As soon as possible!" a Russian representative said.

"Need I remind you, we are at war with the Lucian Alliance. If they chose to attack Earth, Atlantis is the safest place for the Gate. Also, if the Gate is moved now, important military operations may be pushed to the side."

"And what caused this war?" the Chinese man asked.

"Wel—," Camile was cut off.

"It was caused by the reckless actions of the _militaristic_ Stargate Program!" the man said angrily.

"The war was not caused by the Stargate Program," Camile said calmly. "In fact, it was caused by a power void that was created when the Goa'uld were vanquished, and I think we can all agree they were an enemy far worse than the Alliance; however, do not let the Goa'uld or Ori conflicts to diminish the immanency and danger of a Lucian Alliance attack. They have powerful ships."

"Would the Stargate not be equally effective in a neutral, non military location?" the Frenchman asked.

"We do not believe so. The Stargate, where it is now, would be essential if Earth was attacked. Atlantis has formidable shields that can protect the Gate. While such shields could be installed at a neutral location, it would take a significant amount of time. The Alliance would be able to take out the base from orbit in one strategic hit. Also, the Atlantis Gate is equipped with a shield, but this shield requires a significant amount of power. We are currently manufacturing power modules that can power the shield, but they will not be completed for some time. If the shield was to be breached, and the Gate was at a neutral location, Alliance soldiers would be able to immediately move out from there. I experienced this while on the _Destiny_. Lucian Alliance soldiers were able to find a planet from which a nine-chevron address could be dialed. They boarded the ship, and they quickly took over. Fortunately, we were able to get them off the ship, but the ship was confined, and there were no other ships around. Here, on the other hand, the Alliance would have support from ships, and their soldiers could spread out quickly from the Gate," Camile said.

"Interesting, but how do you know there will be an attack soon?" the Chinese representative asked.

"We don't; however, there has been a significant lull in Alliance activity, and we believe they are building up their fleet of warships," Camile said. She was growing impatient.

"You have ships correct?" the Russian representative asked.

"Yes we do."

"Then send them out to search for new Alliance ships," he said.

"Currently our two most advanced ships, _Atlas_ and _Aura_ are doing exactly that. So far, they have found nothing," Camile said.

"Then it should be safe to assume there is no attack planned. At least not soon," the Brazilian representative chimed in. Her accent was thick and hard to hear through, but Camile trusted her.

"Yes, but until we know anything for sure, we should postpone the movement of the Gate," Camile concluded.

"I agree," the Brazilian representative said.

"I also agree," the Russian said.

"As do I," the Frenchman said.

"I disagree," the Chinese representative said.

"Well, we have a majority," Camile said. "We will bring this up at a later date. Thank you all for your time."

"What did you decide?" Woolsey asked when Camile met up with him later.

"We are going to postpone the move until _Aura _and _Atlas_ have determined the status of the Alliance fleet. A location will be decided on in the coming weeks, though," Camile reported.

"Excellent work, Ms. Wray," Woolsey said. Camile could hear the frustration in his voice.

"Thank you Richard. Now if you don't mind, I have other business to attend to."

"Then, by all means, proceed," Woolsey said.

"How much longer until the engine is charged?" Uvae asked.

"A little under six hours," the scientist said. Uvae sighed loudly.

"Recall the surface team in three hours," Uvae commanded.

"Yes Empress," the scientist said.

"Can you tell me what the main weapon does yet?" Uvae asked.

"I am currently working on that."

"Hurry up! I am growing impatient," Uvae said. The frustration continued to build inside her.

"Yes Empress," the scientist said nervously. "I-I think I found something."

"Oh?" Uvae said.

"I'm not certain about it, but I do not think we should be using this weapon," the scientist said timidly.

"What do you mean?" Uvae asked.

"This is telling me that the weapon should only be used in dire circumstances. It has the ability to destroy a whole world."

"Physically destroy?" Uvae said.

"I'm not sure," the scientist said.

Uvae sighed. "Get back to work!"


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Earth's golden sun rose over the Pacific Ocean. The sharp angles of Atlantis beautifully caught and reflected the light. The millions of glass panels all glimmered in the morning sun. Operations began as usual. The Gate sync occurred the night before, and Daniel's program was currently being installed.

"Only a few more hours until we can find out what's on those planets," Daniel said.

Morgan chuckled at Daniel's enthusiasm. "Suit yourself."

"John, Cam," Sam said. "I want your teams ready to go as soon as we can dial out."

"Yes ma'am," the two Colonels said in unison.

The day was exceptionally ordinary, yet the tension of excitement hung in the air. Everyone was hustling and bustling in their usual way.

"General Carter," Young said. "Rush says he has a plan to move _Destiny_. Where would you like us to put it?"

"Send it to Nevada. I'm sure those scientists at Area 51 would love to get their hands on it," Sam said.

"Very well, ma'am. Permission to move that hunk of junk."

"Granted," Sam said.

"Rush, you're go for launch," Young said into his radio.

On the _Destiny_, Rush pressed a few buttons. The master-command on _Destiny_ was released, and the ship was finally able to take off.

"The reporters will eat this up," Rush said to himself. The ship trembled violently as it gained altitude. Once the ship attained a sufficient height, it moved forward, cruising loudly over the ground below. People stared up in awe as the ship thundered toward Nevada. As Rush predicted, every major news network in the nation was reporting this. A moment later, the _Destiny_ touched down in Area 51, safe from the public eye. "Take care of her," Rush said to a scientist. He unlocked all of the ships systems, and then he disembarked. While he would miss the _Destiny,_ the _Concordia_ was far more astounding. It boasted many more systems, and, on top of that, it wasn't falling apart. _Destiny_ had its glory days, and they were long gone. Rush beamed back to _Concordia_. The ship's pristine white corridors were a sharp contrast to _Destiny_'s decrepit brown ones. On _Concordia_, wires were neatly stowed away, and every surface was smooth. This was truly a human-friendly ship. Rush stepped onto the bridge. The Tau'ri symbol sat on its pedestal in the center of the room.

Rush was glad to find the systems on _Concordia_ were perfectly open for Rush to peruse. He began with the propulsion system. The Anti-Relativity Field was of particular interest was him. As he poked around, the realized that the system was far more complicated than he had imagined. From the little he could understand, it projected a subspace field that somehow negated the effects of relativity. Rush massaged his temples with his fingertips. This was light-years beyond his comprehension. After half an hour of simply staring at the screen, Rush finally looked up. He noticed a blinking indicator one of the screens. "What do we have here?" he said.

"This is the SRST System. It has not yet been tested, and it must be adapted to Human anatomy," the computer replied.

"Ah. Yes. TJ mentioned something about this. Can you explain how this system works?" Rush asked. At he finished speaking, a slot opened on the console in front of him, and a thin piece of glass slid out. He carefully picked it up; at his touch, a display activated.

"Please select a location," the tablet said in a voice slightly different than the computer.

"I want to know how this system works first," Rush said.

"You will select a location from the tablet, and you will be transported to that location through a subspace link," the computer answered.

"I guess I'll give it a go," Rush said as he scrolled through the list of locations. "This looks interesting." He selected a location. There was a slight pinch on one of his fingers. "What was that for?"

"You are compatible for SRST travel. Jump commencing in five. Four. Three. Two. One."

The room spun, and Rush was pulled into subspace by the tablet. An instant later he was standing outside the Zero Point Generator Room. "Can this system be applied at a planetary scale?" he asked.

"Yes. There is an explanation for such a system in the SRST sub-database. It is located here." One of the screens on the wall activated; it displayed a map of the ship. A dot was blinking over a relatively large room near the central computer core. Rush stepped into the generator room. The energy production device was nothing short of astounding. An octahedral support structure filled most of the room. In the center, a floating sphere cast glimmering light on the walls and floor. Rush approached the console closest to the door. It activated at his touch.

"Explain this system to me please," he said.

"The Zero Point Energy Generator creates a Microcosmic Parallel Universe, MPU for short, inside the confines of the sphere," the computer answered.

"How is this any different than a Zero Point Module?" Rush asked.

"This system can produce energy for an indefinite amount of time. As the energy is produced, it is fed directly into the ship's systems. Unlike a Zero Point Module, the Generator does not need to be replaced," the computer replied in its synthesized voice.

"Dr. Rush. This is Dr. Cooper on the _Destiny_."

Rush answered the radio call. "What is the problem?" he said in an annoyed tone.

"We found something over here that you need to see," Cooper answered.

Rush sighed loudly. "It's always something," he said to himself. "On my way."

"There you are!" Cooper said when Rush arrived on _Destiny_.

"Yes. Yes. I'm very busy. What is it that you so desperately need me to see?" he asked.

"We found some aliens," Cooper said. "Follow me."

Rush walked behind Cooper. They made their way to the now habitable front section of the ship. Dr. Cooper opens a door, revealing a small cargo bay. It is full of stasis pods. Each one is about six feet tall. The panels on the side glow faintly.

"We should open them," Rush said.

"But we have absolutely no idea what kind of aliens they are. They could be dangerous, and we have no idea if they can survive on Earth," Cooper said in a worried tone.

"You just go back to doing one of the millions of things that needs doing, and I will stay here and figure out how these pods work, and I'll try to learn something about the aliens," Rush said. Dr. Cooper left the room, and Rush started his work.

"Eli," Rush said into his radio. "I'm going to send you some symbols, and I want you to run them through the translation system on _Concordia_."

"Alright, but I'm not sure if that will work," Eli answered.

"I have a hunch." Rush used the glass tablet from the _Concordia_ to snap a picture of the glowing symbols on the stasis pod. He sent them to Eli.

"Wow that was fast," Eli said to himself when he put the symbols in. "Rush, I found a match."

"Already?" Rush was amazed but not entirely surprised. The translation appeared on the tablet along with a translation matrix. Slowly, he read through the words on the display. It explained the process of reanimation and the steps needed to successfully reanimate an organism.

"It's like an instruction manual for someone who's never done this before," Rush mumbled as he continued reading. He pressed a few buttons on the stasis unit, and it opened with a loud hiss. White mist poured out from the opening. Rush cautiously backed up. He hadn't bothered to call a security team, but he was wondering if he should have. Rush walked over to the exit just in case the alien was hostile. A leg-like appendage emerged from the pod. It was encased in some sort of metal. Another leg emerged. Rush had his hand ready to push the button on the door at any moment. Three long silvery fingers curled around the edge of the stasis pod, and the alien pulled itself out of the container. The alien's silver skin was mostly covered by a metal suit of some sort. The creature was about five and a half feet tall. Its already large eyes widened when it saw rush. It put its hands up in defense. Rush did the same.

"I'm not going to hurt you," Rush said calmly. He typed the phrase into the tablet, and it came out in the alien's language. The alien cocked its narrow face. Slowly it approached Rush. It spoke, and the tablet translated.

"Who are you?" it asked.

"My name is Dr. Nicholas Rush."

"Where am I?" the alien questioned.

"On a planet called Earth," Rush answered in a soft voice. "You're safe here."

"Why is the rest of my science team not awake?" The alien's head twitched, directing Rush's gaze toward the other stasis pods.

"I only opened one stasis pod. We can open the others soon, but first, there are some people who would like to meet you," Rush said. "This way." The alien followed Rush through the halls, its metal boots clanking on _Destiny's_ floor. Rush looked back occasionally. He noticed the alien's arms were almost as long as its legs. It probably evolved from a quadrupedal species. _Interesting,_ Rush thought.

"Dr. Cooper," Rush said as he approached the Control Interface Room. "I think you'll be interested by this." Rush side-stepped, revealing the alien. Cooper jumped back in shock.

"You opened the stasis pod?"

"Obviously. I was fairly confident there was no threat."

"General Carter and Dr. Jackson need to see this right away."

"We were just on our way to Atlantis," Rush said. "_Concordia,_ this is Rush. Two to beam directly to the Atlantis control room."

"I'm not detecting another life-sign," Eli answered.

"It must be the suit," Rush mumbled. "Here." Rush gave the alien the glass tablet. Carefully, the alien grabbed it with its long nimble fingers. The tablet took a skin sample, and Rush was afraid the alien would drop the tablet, but it didn't seem to notice the prick. The alien nearly toppled over when the tablet said, "Compatible for SRST travel."

"Never mind, Eli," Rush said into his radio. "We'll be there in about two seconds." Rush scrolled through the destinations. "Ready?" He asked.

The alien nodded its head. Rush selected the location, and he was pulled into the tablet along with the alien. An instant later, they were standing on the bridge of _Concordia_, a very shocked Eli sitting in a chair in front of them.

"Way cool!" he said. He stood up, and the alien backed away. Rush led the alien to the transport pad, and they beamed over to Atlantis.

On a Goa'uld Space Station:

"I don't see how we can possibly take Earth now. Every attack we have made has left us with fewer ships. All of our Ori ships are gone, and the rest of our fleet is spread thin."

"Then we have nothing to lose," Sheryl said. "We must prepare all the ships."

"It's suicide!" Sheryl's advisor shouted.

"Maybe it is, and maybe it isn't. We might get lucky this time."

The advisor wondered what was wrong with Sheryl. She seemed different after her visit to one of Anubis's old labs. The advisor dismissed it as temporary insanity due to stress. The ships were prepped in a mere half hour. Sheryl frantically worked up a battle plan. In her messed up head, it was the _perfect_ plan. She knew most of the Earth ships were out picking off the Alliance fleet one ship at a time, so Earth would be relatively defenseless except for Atlantis. Her ships would drop out of Hyperspace on the side of Earth that was unprotected by the Ancients' glimmering city. When Sheryl was satisfied on her plan, she briefed the remaining Warlords.

Once all the ships were prepared, Sheryl gave the order. "Take us to Earth."


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

"We're ready to dial," Daniel said. He pressed the buttons on the DHD, and the Stargate activated. The vortex sprung from the metal ring. Daniel dashed down to the Embarkation Room. John, Cam, Vala, Teal'c, Ronon, and Teyla were waiting. A kino cruised through the open Gate.

"Conditions look good," Sam said. "You may proceed. Good luck."

The team stepped through the Event Horizon, and an instant later, they were standing in a stone courtyard. A twenty foot tall obelisk stood in front of them. It was engraved with dozens of Stargate Addresses. Some were worn away slightly indicating heavy use. The courtyard was surrounded by several dismal grey buildings. Ivy grew up the stone walls, encasing the structures in a green cloak. Dozens of citizens nervously walked into the stone square.

"I recognize their species," Vala commented.

"I do too," Cam said. "Igne Inferi."

"Well at least we know we're in the right system," Daniel noted.

"Who are you?" a well-dressed man shouted.

"We're explorers," John answered.

"Where are you from?" another man asked

"A long way away," Daniel responded.

The man narrowed his eyes and approached the team. "What do you mean by that?" his voice was slightly raspy; he was probably of a ripe age.

"We're not from this place," Cam gestured to the area around the Gate.

The man's eyes widened slightly. "Oh. You are from one of the other worlds. Then why don't you look like us?" he asked upon examining the team.

"That's why we're here," Daniel said. "We want to figure out why we look different."

The man seemed to believe Daniel. "Out of my way, citizen," a woman in a lab coat said. She kicked the elderly man aside.

"My apologies ma'am," he whimpered and walked away.

"Welcome to Imperium. I am Fourth Tier Scientist Natasha Bellerophon," the woman said.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Daniel Jackson." Daniel reached his hand out, but the lady looked appalled at his gesture. She backed up and winked at him.

"Morgan?" Vala whisper. The woman nodded her head slightly.

"You have very different customs where you come from. This…gesture…spreads many bacterium and viruses does it not?" Morgan said in a shocked voice.

"It does, but we use special chemicals to eliminate bacteria," Cam said.

"We have much to discuss then. The transport station is this way. Morgan gestured to a building on the far side of the square. The cluster of people in the square parted as the group walked through.

"Out of my way you lowly beings!" Morgan bellowed. She acted like an entirely different person. People shrieked and dashed inside. They were genuinely terrified of Morgan, or in their minds, Natasha.

"This is our transportation station!" Morgan said as they stepped onto a cement platform. "It can take you anywhere in the city of Imperium." A sleek silver train pulled up to the platform. It rode on a single rail. The doors hissed open and a couple dozen citizens stepped out of the train. "Hurry up now!"

After the group got inside, the doors hissed shut, and the train sped off. It traveled faster than any Earth train. "From what you saw, our city must look quite drab," Morgan began. "But the Orca Oris is located in the old sector. This train will take us to the center of our magnificent city of Imperium."

"The Orca Oris?" John asked with a puzzled look on his face.

"Yes. The device you came through. It is named after the former leader of our people. He recently," she paused to think of the proper word. "Replaced by one of his scientists. She is off-world on the _Dysphasia._ It's our first interstellar space craft. In fact, it is the only ship we have ever launched."

"That is very interesting," Teyla said. "Would you consider yourselves advanced?"

"We have no means of comparison, but we are very good with medicine and mind probing. Also, there have been recent advances in teleportation and holography. Looks like we're here!" Morgan said in a perky voice as the train slowed. The rain pattered softly on the roof of the train station.

"Always raining," Morgan said absentmindedly as she lead the team out of the station.

"How many alien species have your people encountered?" Teal'c asked.

Morgan gave him a confused look. "I do not understand."

"Beings from other planets," Teal'c said.

"No we have not. We only know those from our worlds, and we are all the same," Morgan said. They stepped out of the station, and the team gazed up in awe at the glimmering silver city.

"Impressive," John commented.

"Yes. Yes it is!" Morgan said proudly. "It's our Empire's crowning jewel. "Right in here." She led the group into a tall rectangular-shaped building. They walked up a flight of marble stairs that led to a glass elevator.

"Top floor," Morgan said as they crammed into the small vessel.

"Please provide identification," the computer said in a soothing voice.

"Fourth Tier Scientist Natasha Bellerophon."

"Accepted. Proceeding to destination." The elevator shot towards the sky at a blistering pace; however, no change in speed was felt on the inside of the glass box. From the elevator, the team could see the entire city sprawled out in front of them.

"Here we are!" Morgan said gleefully. She exited the elevator and walked briskly to her lab. Once the team was inside, she closed and locked the door. "Finally." She sighed in relief. "This place is wired! I couldn't say anything unusual outside. Thank goodness this lab is reserved for top-tier research only or else it would be bugged as well. There's so much we need to get done, but there isn't enough time!"

"Can you please explain to us what the hell is going on here?" Cam asked.

"I have used Inferi Mental Manipulation Technology to infiltrate the highest level of Inferi society, under the Supreme Chancellor of course."

"Are they really that advanced?" The worry in Daniel's voice was blatant.

"Yes, but only Inferi minds can be influenced by this technology," Morgan said, easing Daniel's nerves. "Moving on, the previous Inferi leader, Clangore Buccinae Orca…"

Vala chuckled when she heard his name.

"Ancient and Inferi may sound identical, but the meanings of words are very different," Morgan scolded. "Orca was brainwashed replaced by a woman by the name of Uvae Acerbae. For some time, Orca had been working with schematics given to him by Adria. Schematics for the _Dysphasia._"

"How did Adria get those?" John asked.

"I'm not sure. I still don't know how she escaped from me in the first place. She must have taken the design from a Dysphasic race in another galaxy," Morgan said. "Moving on, the ship was constructed, and Uvae made her move. She used the real Natasha's technology to influence the Inferi people. They gave up children; the ship fed on their souls to power itself."

"Would this power source be quite inefficient?" Teal'c wondered.

"The souls are only needed to kick start the ZPG. It is comparable to your automobiles on Earth."

"The battery gets the engine going, but then the alternator takes over," John finished Morgan's thought.

"Yes. Only this is not quite so simple."

"How is a ship like the _Concordia_ powered?"

"That is still unknown to us. We believe it has something to do with the creators themselves instead of an entirely different power source such as the pure souls of children. _Concordia_'s energy originally came from something we call _Potestatum._"

"Power? I guess that's fitting. A little vague don't you think?" Vala said.

"We do not entirely understand it." Morgan narrowed her eyes. "This power is believed to come from those who construct the ship. We were conducting experiments on _Potestatum_ in the group of planets to which Imperium belongs. When we left for Pegasus, a research station was left on one of the planets in the group with the hopes that one day the members of Human Species 81422 would find it and finish the research we had started."

"Did they find it?" Ronon asked.

"I do not know. That is the reason I have brought you here," Morgan said. "I will be using the mental manipulation technology to convince the people that you are top level scientists headed for the other worlds in the Gate system. You will also need to be given facial restructuring. It is not permanent, but it will be quite convincing. Are you ready to begin?"

Morgan led the group into Natasha's lab. She sat behind an ornately carved wooden desk. A computer screen rose from a slit in the smooth surface. "Who is first?"

"I'll do it," John sighed as he stepped onto a glowing circular platform. Morgan began her work. A mere fifteen minutes later, John's transformation was complete. "Okay that's strange," he said when he saw his new face. His ears were pointed, and the bones in his face were far more prominent.

"I will have the device make clothing for you in a moment. Next please," Morgan said. Each member took their turn standing on the platform. When Morgan's work was done, she programmed the mental manipulation device.

"Everyone on this world now believes that you are my top-ranking assistants. Please familiarize yourselves with your new identities when we travel back to the Stargate. When it is dialed, everyone in the entire system of Gates will receive the mental program."

"Where are we going?" Teyla asked.

"I am unsure of the planet on which the research station is located, so a pair will be sent to the other planets. I will go with Dr. Jackson to Draco. Vala and Teal'c will go to Aranea. Colonel Mitchell and Teyla will go to Accipiter. And Colonel Sheppard and Ronon will go to Caetus," Morgan said.

"Sounds like a plan," Cam said. The group left Morgan's lab, and immediately, it seemed as though people recognized them."

"Stay safe on Aranea, Peur," an elderly woman said to Vala.

"Thank you very much," Vala said with a fake smile. "You just had to make my name mean 'stupid child' in Ancient," Vala mumbled within earshot of Morgan.

"I do not know what you are referring to," Morgan said. "Puer is the Inferi word for third-tier scientist, and Stultus is a very common family name." Morgan chucked quietly.

They boarded the train, and it sped off toward the old district of the city. As they approached the station, Morgan spoke into a radio. "This is Fourth-Tier Scientist Natasha Bellerophon. Dial the Oris to Draco," she ordered.

"Yes ma'am," a voice answered. The train slowed to a stop, and the team stepped onto the platform.

"Everyone knows what they are looking for correct?" Morgan asked. Everyone nodded. They walked to the square where the Stargate was active. Daniel and Morgan stepped through, and the Gate deactivated.

**On Earth:**

"For the last time Rush, you may not open the other stasis pods!" Sam said.

"But I think we can learn so much from them," Rush complained.

"You can learn from this one." Sam pointed to the alien sitting in the chair.

"_Destiny_ isn't powering the pods anymore. They're using their own power cells, and I'm not sure how much longer those will last."

"General, we're detecting Alliance ships!" someone said through the radio. Alarms began to sound.

"They're on the opposite side of the planet," Rodney said.

"Which leaves that side of the planet is defenseless," Sam said angrily. For the first time, Atlantis would not be able to stop the Alliance attack. All of Earth's ships were gone, making this the perfect disaster. Adrenaline surged through Sam's veins as she thought through her options.

"The Moon isn't close enough is it?" Sam asked.

"Negative. The Selene is too far away as well," Rodney answered.

"CallEli. He's on the _Concordia._ It should be able to get to the Alliance ships fast enough," Rush said as he ran into the Control Room. The short alien trotted in after him with a worried look in its bulbous eyes.

"Eli this is Sam. Can you stop the Alliance ships with the _Concordia_?" she said into the radio.

"I'm not sure. The ship just started moving by itself. From what I can tell, the weapons are being activated," Eli answered. The _Concordia_ cruised away from Atlantis.

"Eli," Rush said. "What's going on over there?"

"The ship is moving to intercept the Alliance ships," Eli said. "I'm not in control."

Sam and Rush stared silently at a screen in the Control Room. They watched as the _Concordia_ sped toward the Alliance fleet.

**On Sheryl's Ship:**

"What is that?" Sheryl screamed.

"It's a ship, ma'am."

Sheryl's eyes widened as the _Concorida_ approached her ship. "All ships start firing!" The Ha'tak began their assault on the Tau'ri ship. Glowing balls of energy sped from the Alliance ships. Sheryl waited nervously for the shots to impact the enemy. When they harmlessly bounced off _Concordia's_ shield, Sheryl's face turned blood red.

"Launch all gliders, and continue to fire all batteries. Charge the main weapon!" she barked at the crew. The ship she was commanding used to belong to Anubis.

"Right away ma'am!" the tactical officer said. A second later, the ship shuddered, and sparks flew. The _Concordia_'s beam weapons established a lock, and they were slowly annihilating the Goa'uld vessels.

"Main weapon charged!" the officer said.

"Fire!" Sheryl yelled over the sound of an explosion. The shield on her ship had failed.

The weapon discharged, but it was useless on the _Concordia._ A knot formed in Sheryl's gut; she knew this would be the end. She pulled out her handgun and shot the tactical officer in the back of the head. He fell to the ground with a loud thud. Sheryl took control of the ship. The Hyperdrive was offline, but the Sublight Engines were still working. She maneuvered her ship away from the _Concordia_. Much to her surprise, it didn't pursue.

**On Atlantis:**

"She's getting away, Eli," Sam said.

"I know. I know," Eli answered. "The ship is just waiting."

"Can you override the auto-pilot?" Rush asked.

"I don't think so. Wait…It's doing someth—." Eli's voice was replaced by static. The _Concordia_ instantly traversed the distance between Earth and Sheryl's ship. Its main weapon activated; a glowing ball of light surrounded the Goa'uld vessel. An instant later, the ship vanished…

**A/N: Sorry for the late update. I'm not sure when I'll have the next chapter ready. Enjoy this one! **


	12. Chapter 12: Caetus

**A/N: I decided to do something a little different here. Each of the next four chapters will be focused on one of the planets Morgan is sending the teams to. I chose to do this because it became too confusing to keep track of each of the four pairs. This will also give me the ability to focus on each of the characters. Please answer the poll on my profile! It is very important for coming chapters. As always, reviews are greatly appreciated. Enjoy! **

Chapter 12

Caetus

John and Ronon emerged from the Gate. Immediately, they knew something was odd. They were bathed in a deep indigo light.  
"Are we?" Ronon began.  
"Underwater," John finished his sentence. Above them, a glass dome retained the water. John guessed they were at least two hundred feet below the surface of the ocean.  
"Welcome to Caetus, Peur Pugnae and Peur Currit," a woman in a lab coat said, approaching John and Ronon. "Please follow me. I will show you to your new laboratory." She smiled and walked toward the cluster of structures in the center of the dome. As they walked, they took in the view. Around them, only a thin layer of glass, or some other material, was keeping millions and millions of gallons of water from filling the space. Several scientists in lab coats rushed about between the buildings. When John and Ronon reached the doors to one of the larger buildings, the guards at the door stepped aside, allowing them to enter. The interior architecture of the building was clearly Lantean.  
"Right this way." The woman led Ronon and John toward something that closely resembled a Transporter. The pair exchanged a glance. They stepped inside, and the panel on the back wall slid open. The woman selected a location on the map, which John quickly tried to memorize before the panel closed. Instead of the usual dematerialization, the Transporter moved like an elevator. The woman noticed the strange look on John's face.  
"Is something wrong?" she asked.  
"Have you experimented with instantaneous spatial transportation?" John asked, trying his best to say something that sounded 'Rodneyesque.'  
"No," the woman's voice was full of confusion. "Is this chamber capable of such things?"  
"We believe so," Ronon said in an authoritative tone, provoking a snort from John. "The research we've been doing on Imperium suggests that these devices are capable of instant transport."  
The woman's eyes grew wide after Ronon spoke. "If you do not mind me asking, is that why the two of you are here?"  
"Yes. That is our reason for being here. We're looking for a place where technology like this was found," John said.  
"I know of such a place. I will show you on our map of the planet when we arrive at the laboratories." The woman seemed genuinely excited about John and Ronon's presence on Caetus. The Transporter stopped, and the doors slid open, revealing a Lantean-style hallway.  
"Déjà vu," John mumbled as he followed the woman through the structure until they reached an atrium with four doors lining the walls. Each door had a silver placard on the frame.  
"This is yours." The woman waved her hand over the control, and the metal doors slid open. "Here is the map." She pressed a few buttons, and a screen activated. "The city is located here," she pointed to a blinking dot. At this point, John and Ronon realized that the planet was entirely aquatic. The surface of the ocean was entirely devoid of land. "This is the structure where our field researchers found the technology we utilize here."  
"When was that structure discovered?" Ronon asked.  
"It was the first thing we found here. Submarine vehicles were built on Imperium and sent through Oris when we realized this planet's Oris was underwater. The vehicles scouted the area, and they found the structure."  
"Why wasn't this city built around it?" John asked.  
"The scientists discovered a large energy source near the structure, so it was decided that the city should be built near the Oris instead."  
"Interesting. Thank you," Ronon said. "We will contact you if we need further assistance."  
"I am at your service. By the way, my name is Devia. Best of luck!" she said gleefully as she trotted out of the lab. Once the door shut, Ronon and John began to search through the database.  
"We need a way to get to the outpost," John said.  
"Do you think it's the one Morgan wants us to find?" Ronon asked.  
"I'm not sure, but this place is way too similar to Atlantis for the outpost to not be of Ancient design. It's too bad they don't have Jumpers here."  
"I'll start going through the historical records," Ronon said.  
"Alright. I'm going to go do some snooping around this 'city' to see what other Ancient Tech they have here. Lock the door just in case Morgan's brainwashing didn't work on everyone."  
"Will do. I'll let you know if I find anything that can get us to the outpost." John waved his hand, and the door slid open. Cautiously, he stepped into the atrium. It was completely empty.  
"Creepy," he said as he proceeded to the Transporter. When he stepped inside, he examined the map. There were three large domes and several smaller ones. The structure was nowhere near the size of Atlantis, but it was large enough to be considered a city. There were at least two dozen Transporter destinations to choose from. John selected one at random. The panel slid shut, and the chamber began to move. When the doors slid open, he found himself in something akin to a courtyard. He was in one of the smaller domes that was used as residential space. Two apartment buildings rose from the floor, which was covered in an odd grass he had never seen before. There were several smaller individual houses scattered about.  
"Nothing to see here," he said, marking the dome off the map he had taken from the lab. He returned to the Transporter where he selected a new destination. Meanwhile, Ronon was hurriedly searching the database for references to the outpost. He scrolled through the historical database, trying to find the oldest records. When he found a record of the discovery of the outpost, he pulled it up on the screen.  
"_Reports filed by: Tenuis a Nusquam: Second-tier Researcher._  
_Day 1:_  
_My team and I began our exploration of the mysterious structure. Our preliminary visitation would suggest the structure was built many thousands of years ago by a group of people wishing to gather data about this planet and transmit it to a currently unknown location. As we continue our investigation, I will release further information._  
_ Day 14:_  
_ We have managed to construct a pressurized dome around the structure, allowing is to explore the interior. It is quite fascinating. Already, we have discovered a map of this entire planet, and much to our surprise, there is no land here. This is very different than the other planets we have recently discovered. One of my assistants has found what appears to be a power source; we are investigating it further. We have been unable to tap into the database other than to pull up the map. It is completely encrypted in a language similar to ours, but we are facing extreme difficulty in translating. The symbols and pronunciations are the same, but it appears as though the words have different meanings. I am officially requesting a linguist who is familiar with the ancient languages of our race. Moving on, there seems to be a vehicle of some sort in a small airtight bay. As of yet, no one has been able to activate the craft, but we believe it was used at some point to transport people from the Oris to this outpost. I shall report again in a week._  
Ronon stopped reading and radioed Sheppard. "There's a Jumper somewhere," he said.  
"Great. Do you have any idea where it might be?" John asked as he stepped out of the Transporter.  
"No. It might still be docked in the outpost. Hopefully someone brought it here though."  
"Yeah. I'll start looking for that. So far I haven't seen much in the way of technology," John answered. "Sheppard out."  
Ronon continued to read the entries.  
"_Day 21:_  
_ Today we managed to get into part of the database. Alas, nothing about the power source was stored in this section; however, we have found information regarding the purpose of this outpost. Apparently it was indeed used to collect and relay data, as we suspected. This outpost is a part of a network of other outposts that are located on the other worlds we have recently discovered. The linguist has been very helpful in translating the information we have found. It seems as though our language was derived from the language here. Just this morning, we discovered a link that allows for the instantaneous transmission of data between the outposts. I recommend that you send teams to search for the outposts on the other planets. Perhaps we will be able to send messages between our colonies this way._  
_ Day 28:_  
_ Success! We have activated the vessel. Currently, one of my assistants is attempting to pilot it, but the systems are very complicated. The linguist has been quite busy translating the new section of the database we unlocked yesterday. He reports that he will have a translation matrix in operation by the end of next week. Unfortunately, we cannot copy any portion of the database to our portable memory devices. There is far too much information to store. Inevitably, some vital piece of knowledge would be left behind. On another note, we still have no idea who built this outpost or their exact motives for data collection, but things are looking up!_  
_ Day 35:_  
_ By pure luck, I have discovered a new method of data storage. The people who built this used an ingenious technology, the likes of which I have never seen. Small pieces of glass, you read that correctly, are used to store information. Remarkable! I have decided to send several back with this report. There is also a data terminal and display on the way. It will allow you to access the information on the crystals, which the linguist has expertly translated. Tomorrow we will begin testing the flight capabilities of the vehicle. I am quite excited to see the intended purpose of the vehicle. In our preliminary examinations, we noted that it would easily be able to travel through the Oris. Perhaps this vehicle was used in the same way as our submarine transports. My assistant noted that the vehicle appears to be capable of flight, and possibly travel to the regions above a planet's atmosphere. To me, this sounds quite preposterous, but I am eager to attempt such a flight._  
_ Day 37:_  
_ We are returning to Imperium immediately! The test yesterday went horribly wrong. Not two minutes after the vehicle left the hanger, projectiles were fired. They detonated near the outpost, and the dome sustained minor damage. It will fail in a matter of days. The vehicle will be returned to the hanger, and it will be sealed inside. Hopefully there are other vehicles such as this one, so we can study them in less hostile environments. Despite the obvious risks, I do suggest we colonize this world. Perhaps we could construct a floating city on the surface of the water."_  
Ronon closed the report log and contacted Sheppard. "The Jumper isn't here," he said.  
"Great," John answered. He was investigating what appeared to be a power plant of sorts. From what he could tell, it was tapping into the heated core of the planet to produce energy for the entire city. "Is there a way to get to the outpost at all?" he wondered.  
"I'll contact Devia and ask her," Ronon said. While John waited for news from Ronon, he returned to the Transporter. One again, he selected a new location. As the Transporter began to move, he crossed off the location he had just left. When the door opened, John found himself in yet another courtyard, but this one was full of harried scientists rushing between buildings. It was similar to the plaza near which the Stargate was located. Right away, he knew he would find something there. After walking into the nearest structure, he found a scientist who didn't look too busy.  
"I need a way to get to the outpost," John said.  
"Which outpost do you speak of?" the scientist asked.  
"The one that was found when this planet was first explored," John said.  
"The exploratory vehicle is located in this building. Would you like me to show you where it is?"  
"Sure," John answered. He followed the man dressed in white through the building until they arrived at what looked like the Jumper Bay on Atlantis. In this replica, there was a single Puddle Jumper.  
"Thank you very much."  
"You are very welcome. Best of luck Peur," the scientist said before walking off.  
"Ronon, I found it. I'm in the second largest dome in the building closest to the Transporter."  
"On my way," Ronon said. Just then, Devia stepped into the room.  
"Can I be of any assistance?" she asked.  
"Well," Ronon began. "My partner and I could use your help with deciphering the language in the outpost."  
"Excellent. I shall accompany you," she said in her usual bubbly tone. She and Ronon walked to the Transporter.  
"Have you ever been to the outpost?" Ronon asked.  
"No. I have not. A research team has not been sent there in many years. Each time a team has attempted to do any form of work there, something has gone catastrophically awry."  
Ronon thought about Devia's words for a moment, and only one possibility seemed clear: the Ancients had rigged the systems on the outpost to prevent tampering by the inhabitants of the planet. When he and the Inferi scientist reached John's location, the two humans exchanged a quick glance. They proceeded to the Puddle Jumper, which activated at John's presence.  
Devia's eyes were wide. "That has never happened before! We've been trying to activate it for months with no success."  
"I guess I just got lucky," John said. He sat at the pilot's seat, and checked the ship's systems. Ronon took the co-pilot seat, and he searched for any evidence of the Ancient modifications that he suspected were present in their technology on this world. Nothing stood out as unusual. John slowly lifted the Jumper off of the landing platform.  
"How do I get this thing out of here?" he asked.  
"There is an airlock straight ahead," Devia said. "It will open when it detects the vessel."  
John carefully piloted the Jumper toward the edge of the dome, worried about colliding with the fragile glass. Just when he thought he would hit the transparent surface, a panel slid open, revealing a compartment large enough for the Jumper. Once inside, the panel slid shut, and magnetic clamps held the Jumper in place.  
"Anything special we need to do?" Ronon asked.  
"No. The vents should open, and the compartment will fill with water," Devia said cheerfully. Just as she finished, water began to pour into the airlock. It rose slowly until it covered the Jumper. The outer door opened, and the magnetic clamps receded into the glass walls. Once the Jumper was in the open ocean, John accelerated. Ronon pulled a map up on the screen, showing the location of the outpost.  
"It's at the South Pole just like…" John stopped mid-sentence. "We expected."  
"How long will it take us to get there?" Ronon asked.  
"Not long. This planet is relatively small."  
When they reached the outpost, John landed the Jumper in the bay that branched off from the central rooms. Inside, the place was a complete mess. Data crystals were scattered bout recklessly as though someone had been in a big hurry to leave. John and Ronon collected all of the intact pieces of glass. From what John could tell, the outpost was still entirely functional, but he was weary to activate any of the systems.

"What's this?" Devia asked from another room.

"It looks like a control chair," John said. "We should probably stay away from that." He remembered what TJ had told him about the chair on _Destiny_ that could kill its user.

"I think it looks important though," Devia protested.

"Just don't touch it for now," John said. "The Praeceps would be displeased to know of your foolishness."

Devia bowed her head in shame and left the room. "Well that was effective," Ronon said.

"I needed something to get her out of here because I just saw this." John bent over and pulled a box out from under a console. It appeared as though no one had ever touched the container. Carefully, John opened it. Inside, there was a stone tablet with what looked like two Gate symbols on it. Beneath the stone there was an Ancient data tablet. John pulled it out, and it activated at his touch. A message began to play on the screen.

"My name is Axella, and I am a researcher on this aquatic planet. When you deliver this tablet to the Hub on the negative corner of the Grid, the next portion of the clue will be revealed," the message said.

"What the hell?" John asked. He stared blankly at the tablet. Neither he nor Ronon understood a single thing it had said.

"Maybe Morgan can help us figure this out," Ronon suggested.

"I hope so." John sighed and returned the objects to the box and sealed it. He and Ronon returned to the main room where Devia was collecting data chips and organizing them.

"What is that?" she asked when she saw the box.

"We're not sure," John answered.

"Shall we take it back to the main structure?" Devia asked.

"In a minute, but first, I want to activate a few systems." John walked over to a console and turned it on. He ran a search for anything having to do with Hubs or Grids. Nothing.

"I guess we can go then," he said in disappointment. They returned to the Jumper and flew it back to the city.

"Thank you very much for your assistance," Ronon said to Devia. She smiled and bowed.

"We would like to return to Imperium," John declared. Devia led them back to the Stargate where she selected Imperium's address on the obelisk…


	13. Chapter 13: Aranea

**A/N: This takes place just after the beginning of chapter 12. **

Chapter 13

Aranea

"You two are next," Morgan said as the Stargate deactivated. Vala and Teal'c approached the Gate while Morgan scanned the obelisk for the proper address. When she found it, she pressed the stone panel, and the Gate instantly activated.  
"Good look Peurs Sophos and Stultus," Morgan said jubilantly. Vala eyed the Ancient resentfully. Morgan simply winked and sent the pair on their way. When they emerged on the other side of the Stargate, a wave of heat washed over them. Vala could feel her lips drying out rapidly.  
"Welcome to Aranea!" a short woman said as she bobbed toward the still active Stargate.  
"My name is Trebax. Please follow me this way into the climate controlled portion of our colony."  
Vala and Teal'c obliged and followed the bubbly woman into what looked like the side of a mountain. Once inside, Trebax spoke again. "I apologize for the lack of a proper welcome. Peurs Stultus and Sophos, on behalf of the governing council of Aranea, I cordially welcome you to our colony." She bowed, and Vala rolled her eyes, provoking a gentle nudge from Teal'c. Vala calmed her temper as Trebax began to speak again. "We have recently sequestered a lab for your research. This way."  
"Excellent," Teal'c said.  
"Do you have any questions about the colony?" Trebax said.  
"As a matter of fact we do," Vala said. "Are there any records of a structure located near the Sta…Oris?"  
"What do you mean?" Trebax asked.  
"We are here to look for a structure that was discovered when this planet was first explored," Teal'c said.  
"You must be talking about the outpost," Trebax said.  
"Yes. Yes we are," Vala said, exchanging a glance with Teal'c.  
"I do not know much about the outpost, but perhaps the database will be able to help you." She stopped at what appeared to be a solid stone wall. When she placed her hand on the rough surface, the center of the wall slid back, revealing a stone staircase. Trebax led them up to the upper level where effulgent rivulets of mercury flowed through crevasses of varying sizes, linking large pools of the silvery metal. There were several cascades of the metal that splashed into the pools and rivulets.  
"Isn't that stuff toxic?" Vala said when she saw the rare metal.  
"There are force fields in place above the liquid to keep the scientists safe. We use the rivers to transport items around the facility."  
Vala was slightly intrigued by that fact, but she still found the abundance of mercury odd.  
"Were you not going to show us to our laboratory?" Teal'c asked.  
"Yes. Sorry!" Trebax said. "I get side-tracked sometimes." She led the, down a hallway carved into volcanic rock. Despite the lava tubes that surely ran nearby, the temperature inside the facility was average.  
"How do you insulate this place?" Vala asked.  
"We use several heat blocking force fields throughout the structure. In the rare case of an emergency, they can be adjusted to prevent the flow of lava into the base.  
"Fascinating," Teal'c said in a monotone.  
"And here we are," Trebax said when they reached what looked like a dead end. Once again, Trebax placed her hand on the stone, and this time part of the wall slid upward, revealing a lab.  
"Call me if you need anything." the Inferi woman smiled and waved as Teal'c and Vala stepped into the lab.  
"This place is really weird," Vala commented upon looking around the room. It was full of biological samples and what looked like Ancient medical technology. Teal'c examined the samples.  
"Are these not viruses?" he asked when he picked up one vial and read the name on the side.  
"I have absolutely no idea how to answer that question, but I would say these are viruses. From what I can tell, they are highly contagious and deadly."  
"Perhaps that explains their presence here. It would be quite easy to dispose of any potentially deadly samples," Teal'c said. Vala nodded in agreement. They continued to poke around the lab until Vala found something rather odd.  
"Teal'c. C'mere and look at this would you?" she said from the very back of the room. When Teal'c saw what Vala had found, he was perplexed. Before him rested a metal capsule with a sliding door. Inside, there was a control panel with word written in Ancient, but the panel did not resemble any Ancient technology he had seen before.  
"Do you recognize this device?" Teal'c asked.  
"No, but I think I saw something like it when Daniel was working on the technology from the Destiny. If this panel came from the same time period Destiny was launched in, then this place is very old." Without giving it a second thought, Vala stepped into the capsule, but Teal'c didn't follow. "You're going to let me go down there all by myself?"

Teal'c sighed and stepped into the elevator. Vala pressed the last button on the panel, and the door shut. Immediately, the elevator began to descend to an unknown destination. When the capsule finally stopped, the door slid open with a loud hiss.

"Shall we do some exploring, Muscles?" Vala teased. Teal'c raised an eyebrow and followed Vala into the dark space. The pair shone their lights into the darkness, but there didn't appear to be any obstacles in their path. Vala stopped when she spotted something on the wall. It was another panel. She pressed a button, and it lit up. After carefully reading the inscriptions on the buttons, she pushed in a sequence; slowly, the lights in the room began to turn on.

"What is this place?" Vala asked distantly as she took in the newly illuminated cavern.

"I do not know." Teal'c answered her rhetorical question.

"Well whatever it is, something huge was built here."

"Indeed." The pair continued to walk around the rim of the cavern until they reached what looked like an abandoned control room. She activated the systems and began to read the screens.

"This is fascinating. It looks like a ship was built here," she said.

"What sort of ship?" Teal'c asked.

"An Ancient ship." Vala was surprised. After she finished reading the screen, she began searching the console for an object mentioned in the text.

"For what are you searching?" Teal'c asked.

"A box. There was a reference to it, and from what I could tell, it seems pretty important.

"Perhaps it is located in the outpost," Teal'c suggested.

"That's probably a good place to start. I just want to make sure it's not here first." She continued her search until Teal'c stopped her. He gestured toward the elevator shaft on the other side of the cavern. Vala squinted her eyes to get a better view of what Teal'c had seen.

"This is bad," she said when she realized there was a person walking toward the control room.

"Indeed," Teal'c answered. The person continued to walk toward the room at a rapid pace.

"Just let me do the talking," Vala said.

"Perhaps I should address our situation," Teal said. "You would undoubtedly worsen our condition."

Vala narrowed her eyes. "Fine," she said. The man entered the room just as Vala finished speaking.

"Peurs," he said. Teal'c and Vala bowed when they saw the rank insignia he was wearing.

"Please explain your presence here," he said in a condescending tone.

"We have been ordered by Praeceps Natasha Bellerophon to explore this chamber and ascertain its purpose," Teal'c said. The man narrowed his eyes.

"Well tell her that I do not approve of such intrusions."

"May I have your name?" Vala asked.

"Supra Certior," the man said.

"Only second-tier," Vala scoffed.

"Excuse me?"

"She merely misspoke," Teal'c covered for her.

"I would hope so. Now if you'll excuse me, the Emmaculata has ordered me to do work here, and he would be quite angered if he discovered his orders were overridden by a Praecep."

Vala and Teal'c left the control room and returned to the elevator. "I wonder what he has to do in there," Vala stated as the door of the capsule shut. Teal'c shrugged.

"I want to see this 'Emmaculata.' I'd imagine he could be…. Er… _persuaded_ to let us go back down there."

"That is unlikely," Teal'c said.

"Can't blame a girl for trying, though," Vala laughed. "It would probably make Daniel mad, but what he doesn't know won't hurt him."

Teal'c raised an eye brow. "Are you considering this?" he asked.

"It depends on how desperate for information we are." The elevator stopped, and the door opened.

"For now, I think we should focus on finding the outpost," Teal'c suggested.

"I agree. I wonder what everyone else is doing. Do you think we should let them know that the outpost is here and not on the planets they're on?" Vala asked.

"Perhaps we can inform them after we have confirmed the outpost's existence and location," Teal'c said.

"Fair enough. Let's get to work then." The pair began to search through the database. After about an hour, they were interrupted by a voice that blared over the intercom. Vala assumed the voice belonged to the Emmaculata.

"A lava flow is approaching the base. All personnel, report to designated locations," the voice said.

"Where's our designated location?" Vala wondered. "Trebax, this is Peur Stultus," she said into the radio.

"Yes Peur? What do you need?" Trebax answered.

"Where should Sophos and I go?" Vala asked.

"Your lab is quite safe," Trebax said.

"Thank you very much." Vala and Teal'c began to look through the virus samples as they waited for the lava flow to subside.

"Have you found anything regarding the outpost?" Teal'c asked.

"So far I know it's located near the Stargate, but I can't find an exact location yet.

"I shall begin an analysis on these viruses," Teal'c stated.

"Just don't drop any of them," Vala said.

"That would be quite dangerous."

Vala continued to search the database for another half an hour until the loud voice of the Emmaculata returned. "All personnel, the lava flow has solidified, and it is now safe for you to return to your usual duties."

"Found anything useful, Muscles?" Vala asked.

"Indeed I have. I believe these to be the four most common diseases amongst the people of this Empire."

"Those could come in handy," Vala mused.

"Are you suggesting genocide?" Teal'c raised an eyebrow.

"I'm only saying that if Earth was invaded, we could unleash the pathogens. Do they affect humans?"

"That remains unknown. The computer is unable to establish a point of reference."

"We'll just take them back to Earth then. I found the outpost, but it might be sorta hard to get there." Vala pulled up a map showing the base. A blinking dot indicated the location of the outpost. It was situated on the north pole of the planet, only a few miles from the base; however, there were no structures that led to the outpost. To get there, Vala and Teal'c would be forced to walk unless they could find another way.

"Maybe our good friend Trebax has a way," Vala wondered aloud.

"Indeed." Teal'c pressed a button on his uniform, activating his radio. "Trebax, this is Peur Sophos. I require your assistance."

"I will be there right away," she answered in her chirpy tone. A moment later, the stone door to the lab slid open, and Trebax entered.

"Greetings," she said.

"Hi there. How can we get here?" Vala asked, pointing to the blinking dot on the screen.

"Follow me," Trebax said with a smile. She led Teal'c and Vala out of the lab and down an unfamiliar corridor. When they reached a dead end, Trebax placed her hand on the stone, and a door slid open. On the other side, there was a storage structure of sorts where several metallic pods rested. Trebax approached one, and a panel on the back slid open, revealing a well accommodated interior. The Inferi scientist took the pilot's seat while Teal'c and Vala sat behind her.

"Control, this is Supra Trebax in Research Pod One."

"Clear for takeoff Supra," a voice said. With that, Trebax lifted the pod off the stone floor. In front of it, a stone door opened, revealing the harsh exterior. Glistening mercury rivers flowed—pieces of rock floating on the surface of the metallic liquid. Ash rained from sky, coating the window of the pod in a snow-like dust. Trebax pressed a button, and the ash was cleared. A minute later, the pod touched down near the outpost. It was covered in ash and volcanic rock.

"How are we going to get in?" Vala asked.

"Easy," Trebax chirped. She pressed a series of buttons on the console, and a metallic tube sprung from the pod. It bored through the rock that covered the outpost, giving Vala and Teal'c access to the interior.

"Is the air in there safe to breath?" Vala asked.

"For a time, but do not linger. I will remain here to make sure nothing goes wrong," Trebax said. Vala and Teal'c walked down the metal corridor until they reached the Ancient structure.

"Let's make this quick," Vala said.

"Indeed." They began by removing all of the memory banks in the outpost so they could be analyzed on Earth. After those had been collected, Vala's eyes scanned the single room of the outpost. The air was hot and hazy, making it difficult to see anything with clarity. She paced around, trying to get a better view. Just as she was crossing the center of the room, her foot found the only protrusion in the floor. She fell to the ground, just barely catching herself with her hands. Immediately, Teal'c rushed to her and helped her stand.

"Well I think I found it." She rubbed her aching hands as Teal'c lifted the tilted stone. Beneath it rested a smooth box. "We can open this when we get back to the ship." Vala offered to carry the box while Teal'c lugged the memory storage devices back to the pod.

"That was very fast," Trebax said from the driver's seat when Teal'c and Vala returned. She retracted the extension and lifted the research pod off the ground. Once the pod landed in the hanger bay, Vala and Teal'c immediately went back to their lab. Anxiously, Vala slid the lid off the box and gently rested it on the table next to her. Inside, there was a stone with two symbols on it.

"Stargate Glyphs," Teal'c commented. Beneath this small stone tablet, there was a fragile glass tablet. When Vala picked it up, nothing happened.

"I don't have the Ancient gene; it won't work for me."

"Then we shall return to Imperium where one of the other can activate it," Teal'c suggested…

**A/N: Please review and answer my poll! **


	14. Chapter 14: Accipiter

Chapter 14

Accipiter

"Are you prepared?" Morgan asked.

"As ready as I'll ever be," Cam answered.

"What if we encounter any trouble?" Teyla asked.

"Impossible," Morgan answered. "The mental modifications will be spread to everyone on the planet as soon as the Stargate opens."

"And there's no way that anyone is going to be immune to those changes right?" Cam questioned.

"You worry too much," Morgan said. "If this was not going to work, I would not have suggested the idea." She pressed a button on the obelisk, and the Stargate dialed.

"Best of luck," she said. Cam and Teyla stepped through the Event Horizon and were whisked away to the arid world of Accipiter. When they materialized, they found themselves standing on a metal platform. From their location, they could see the sandy mountain peaks that surrounded the area. A moment later, Teyla made a somewhat startling discovery. The platform on which they stood was floating in mid-air.

"Colonel Mitchell." She nudged Cam.

"This can't possibly safe." In front of them, several spires rose from a larger platform. The pair walked to the structures. When they reached the entrance to the complex, they were greeted by a woman who looked like she would much rather be somewhere else.

"Welcome Peurs Providus and Repens," she said unenthusiastically. "My name is Saevus. Follow me." She led Cam and Teyla through the metal streets that weaved between the reflective glass buildings. It reminded the two of the modern center of Imperium.

"Why are you two here?" Saevus asked in a monotone.

"We're looking for a structure that was found on this planet when the Oris was first opened," Teyla said.

"I can take you there."

"Really?" Cam said.

"Yes." Saevus sounded annoyed. "It is right over there." She led them toward a small spire.

"That was easy," Cam commented. "Thank you very much."

"Sure. Call me when you need to be taken to your lab." Saevus sulked away.

Cam and Teyla walked into the clearly Ancient structure. All of the systems were active, and it looked like the outpost was frequented by many scientists.

"What do you suppose they do with this?" Cam wondered.

"It would appear as though it is regulating the levitation of the entire colony," Teyla said after reading a display.

"The only way they could get that much power would be with a ZPM. How long has this colony been floating?" Cam asked. Tyela performed a search.

"Nearly 50 years," Teyla reported.

"That's an awful long time for something like this to stay in the air. How many ZPM's do you think they have here?" Cam asked.

"I have no idea," Teyla answered.

"It also makes me wonder what they plan to do when the power runs out."

"Agreed. This may only be a small portion of the colony," Teyla commented.

"Well, there's no sense in waiting. We should find out whatever we can about this place." Teyla and Cam began to search through the database for information regarding any research being done on the people, but their searches didn't produce any useful information. The only useful thing Cam found was a weather control system.

"This would be nice on Earth," he commented.

"Perhaps we could ask for it," Teyla said.

"Something tells me these people wouldn't be fond of letting us have this; besides, we're supposed to be under cover here."

"Shall we go find our work space?" Teyla asked.

"That would probably be a good idea." Cam pressed a button on his wrist. "Saevus, we're ready to be taken to our lab."

"On my way," she answered.

"Doesn't she just give you a warm fuzzy feeling on the inside?" Cam asked sarcastically. Teyla raised an eyebrow. Less than five minutes later, Saevus showed up at the door. Cam and Teyla followed her into one of the glass buildings that formed the plaza around the Ancient outpost. They used a Transporter-like capsule to ascend to one of the top floors. From there, Cam could see the desert valley in which the colony floated. As he moved to get a better view, a reflection caught his eye. He squinted, and he noticed a small cluster of structures in the middle of the sandy desert.

"What's that?" Cam asked Saevus before she left the room.

"A mining station. This entire valley is full of precious metals."

"Interesting," Teyla said. "What is the purpose of this colony?"

Saevus gave Teyla a perplexed look, and Cam tensed up thinking that they had been discovered, but a moment later, the woman's face normalized. "We create and export high quality devices to the other colonies."

"And the purpose of the other colonies?" Cam asked.

"Caetus supplies the Empire with scientific research that is used to invent new technology. Aranea is essentially a prison colony where laborers mine raw materials to be used for construction; however, Aranea also exports medicine. Draco is a planet dedicated to agricultural pursuits."

"Thank you very much," Cam said. "You may leave now."

Saevus turned on the spot and left the lab with unusual speed. "We should get started on figuring out as much as we can," Cam stated. He and Teyla each activated a computer terminal. Right away, Teyla decided to go through older records of the colony to figure out exactly when the Ancient outpost was discovered. Meanwhile, Cam was trying to find any information pertaining to the small mining outpost. He had a gut feeling it would be significant. As he scrolled through the entries, he couldn't help but notice the pictures. At first, he thought they were from one of the other colonies, but quite quickly, he came to a startling realization.

"Teyla. Come look at this," he said. "This valley hasn't always been a desert. It used to be one of the only densely forested regions of this planet, but then the Inferi discovered the rich resources beneath it, so they constructed a colony around the Ancient outpost and began to excavate. A couple centuries after that, the entire valley had been dug up, and this colony sat on a mountain in the center. Then, someone discovered the weather control system, and they attempted to fill the valley with water. The fine sand beneath the colony dissolved as the valley filled. For a time, the colony floated on the surface of the water, but the leaders soon realized that the arid climate wouldn't support such a large quantity of water. Sure enough, the water began to evaporate about seventy years ago. The scientists analyzed the water and discovered that it was full of fine silt that would be deposited beneath the colony. Had the colony not been raised into the air, it would have essentially sunk through the silt," Cam read from the screen.

"That is quite fascinating, but that still does not explain how the city is floating," Teyla pointed out.

"It's probably some fancy-dancy Ancient technology."

"I will look for anything regarding that," Teyla said before returning to her station. Cam continued to read about the mining outpost. About an hour later, he looked out the window, but instead of seeing the clear blue sky, he noticed a large storm forming.

"Does that look a little unusual to you?" Cam asked, pointing toward the growing storm. A few moments later, the ominous clouds were situated directly above the colony. John watched as bolts of lightning made contact with the sandy ground below.

"Saevus, this is Peur Repens, what's going on?" Cam said into the radio. No response. The bolts of lightning moved closer to the city. "Saevus. Respond."

"Should we not move to a lower level?" Teyla asked.

"That's probably a good idea," Cam said as a bolt struck the outer edge of the floating platform. They walked briskly to the Transporter and took it to the lower level. It was then that the rain began to fall from the sky in a torrent. Teyla and Cam decided to wait in the lobby of the building until the storm subsided. The citizens seemed perfectly calm and oblivious to the storm. Businessmen in expensive suits walked through the exposed courtyards, allowing themselves to get completely drenched.

"May I help you?" A woman with a sickly sweet voice said.

"No thanks. We're just waiting out the storm," Cam answered.

"What storm?" the woman asked. Cam didn't answer. Instead, he looked to Teyla for help.

"The storm of information that is making the network impossible to navigate," Teyla said.

"Ah yes. That does tend to happen around this time of day," the woman responded. "I shall see if there is anything that can be done to fix the system."

Teyla and Cam let out sighs of relief as the perky receptionist returned to her desk.

"It doesn't look like it's looking better out there," Cam commented.

"Perhaps the weather control console inside the outpost would help the situation," Teyla said. Cam thought about it for a moment.

"Well it's not like we could make it any worse than this." They ran out of the building and towards the outpost. When they reached the Ancient structure, they found that the door had been sealed from the inside. Cam futilely banged on the door. He and Teyla scanned the area for anything that could be used to pry the door open, but there was nothing.

"Do you have any C4?" Teyla asked.

"Nah," Cam answered. "I left it back on Imperium."

"No doubt there are explosives here."

"Probably, but we have no idea where they are," Cam stated.

"Then you stay here, and I will go find them. If you can get the door open, radio me," Teyla said before running off. Cam sighed and pounded on the door again. For the second time, no one answered. The rain continued to pour from the sky, and the citizens of the colony were still oblivious. Cam thought it had something to do with the mental alteration technology that allowed himself and the rest of his team to travel to the colonies without raising suspicion. _Who would want to do this? _He wondered. _And why?_ When Teyla returned with the explosives, the rain was only getting worse, and the lightning was getting closer. Cam planted the explosives on the door, and he and Teyla took cover. She pressed the detonator button, and the door exploded. Oddly, no one on the street even flinched. Everyone continued about their business. While the smoke was still clearing, Cam and Teyla entered the Ancient structure. They both stopped the instant they saw a figure lying on the floor.

"Saevus?" Cam said, approaching the lifeless corpse. When he rolled her over, he saw that her face had been completely dissolved, leaving only her exposed skull behind. Cam cringed and instantly stepped away from the body.

"That's really nasty," he said.

"Colonel Mitchell," Teyla said. "What is that?" She pointed toward a small box that Saevus had tucked under her arm. Cam carefully picked it up and opened it. Inside, he found a stone tablet with two Gate symbols on it, and beneath that there was a glass tablet. When he touched it, a screen activated.

"Greetings. My name is Persea, and I am a researcher on this jungle planet. When you deliver this tablet to the Hub on the negative corner of the Grid, the next portion of the clue will be revealed." After the message concluded, the screen vanished leaving the inert glass tablet.

"That made so much sense," Cam said. "We sh—." Just then, a bolt of lightning struck the top of the outpost. In that moment, a screen activated. On it, Earth's Stargate address flashed.

"What the hell?" Cam said. He and Teyla dashed out of the outpost towards the Staragte. When they reached the metal ring, it had already activated.

"Stargate Command, this is Colonel Mitchell."

"Go ahead, Cam," Sam said from the other end.

"Has anything tried to come through the Gate yet?" he asked.

"Nothing yet. How were you able to dial Earth?" Sam asked.

"I have no idea, ma'am. Someone must have rigged the Gate to do it. These people wouldn't willingly dial out of the network."

"Should I lower the shield then?"

"Negative."

"Alright, Cam," Sam said. "I'll lower the shield."

"What no! I said _don't_ lower the shield," Cam yelled, but his voice was muffled by the wind. A group of Inferi strolled right through the Gate and to Earth. Cam and Teyla helplessly watched as at least a dozen more people traveled to Earth before the Gate shut down. Immediately, they ran to the obelisk and pressed the address for Imperium. The Gate activated and they stepped through. When they arrived on the other side, Ronon, John, Teal'c, and Vala had already returned, and each pair had a box identical to the one Cam found.

"What happened to you?" John asked, taking in Cam's soaked uniform and worried expression.

"I'll explain once Morgan and Daniel get here," Cam panted.


	15. Chapter 15: Draco

**A/N: Remember, this starts over from the beginning of Chapter 12. Sorry it's been a long time since I last updated. I've been really busy and overwhelmed with school. Here's this chapter, and hopefully I can get a few more out soon. Kisses **

Chapter 15

Draco

After Cam and Teyla disappeared through the Gate, Morgan and Daniel prepared to go to the fourth Inferi colony. The Gate dialed and activated.

"We will be back in a few hours," Morgan informed one of the guards station at the base of the Gate. He nodded. When Morgan and Daniel reached their destination, they saw that it was indeed a planet intended for agriculture. Fields of lush green crops surrounded the Gate. From what Daniel could tell, life on Draco was rural and relaxed compared to the hustle and bustle of Imperium.

"Do not be mistaken, Daniel Jackson," Morgan said as though she was reading Daniel's mind. "This world is very advanced, and the people here are just as attentive and devious as those on Imperium and the other colonies."

"Great," Daniel mumbled. "Where should we start looking for the outpost?"

"It will likely be on one of the central farms. No doubt being used to regulate the crops," Morgan said. Just as they were about to walk off, they spotted a woman running toward the Stargate. She was plainly dressed, and her dark hair was pulled back in a bun.

"Praeceps, Peur Melior. Welcome to Draco," she panted as she reached the Gate.

"Your name?" Morgan asked in a condescending tone.

"I am Supra Furtivus," she answered.

"We're looking for something that maintains the crop cycles," Daniel said. Morgan eyed him cautiously.

"You mean the Central Water Regulation Hub?" Furtivus asked.

"Yes. Precisely," Morgan answered.

"Would you like me to take you there?" the Inferi woman asked.

"Sure," Daniel said.

"This way please." She led them up the dirt path to a small village. Inferi men and women walked purposefully through the dirt streets with baskets overflowing with crops. Daniel and Morgan followed Furtivus as she quickly trotted through the village. When they reached the outer limits, Furtivus pulled up her sleeve, revealing a plastic band wrapped around her wrist. After pressing a button, she said, "The transport will be here momentarily." Less than a minute later, a glistening silver air vehicle touched down in front of the group. Furtivus sat in the pilot seat while Morgan and Daniel sat in the rear. The aircraft sped through the clouds to an unknown location. As it descended, Daniel was able to see vast plains filled dotted with small villages identical to the one they just left. As they continued to fly, the size of the towns increased until they resembled small pre-industrial cities. When they landed, Furtivus led them through the streets of the more modern city until they reached a clearing. In the center, there was a structure that looked like it belonged on Imperium instead of Draco.

"It doesn't look Ancient," Daniel whispered to Morgan.

"It isn't," she answered in a concerned tone.

"Well that's problematic," Daniel said.

"Supra," Morgan called out in a commanding tone.

"Yes ma'am?" Furtivus said.

"Are there any older structures that were used for water regulation before this one was built?" Morgan asked.

"I am not aware of any, but perhaps the memory core contains a record of the structure which you are looking for."

"Where is the memory core?" Daniel asked.

"Inside. Follow me." Furtivus led them to the door of the industrial metal structure. Large pipes protruded from the sides before plunging into the earth. Several different weather measuring instruments were mounted on the top of the structure. Furtivus placed her hand on an inlaid glass panel. A moment later, a door hissed open. Daniel and Morgan followed the Inferi woman. The whirring and buzzing of thousands of pumps and dials filled the room with an angry static noise. Furtivus activated a computer terminal.

"This will give you a direct link into the memory core. I must return to the city. Please let me know if you need anything." She smiled and walked out.

"Show me any structures discovered on this planet when people first began to travel through the Oris," Morgan said to the computer. Nothing happened.

"I think the interface is a little more primitive than that." Daniel approached the screen. He searched for anything that might allow him to input a search.

"I disagree Daniel Jackson," Morgan said. "This system uses a mental interface."

"How do you know that?" Daniel asked.

"It is of Ancient design."

"You just said this isn't an Ancient structure," Daniel complained

"It is not; however, the people who built it clearly used Ancient technology." Morgan turned toward the console and activated the computer. Immediately, she began pulling up information on the colony's history. Thousands of images and documents flashed across the screen before Morgan found the specific entry she was looking for.

"Found it," she said.

"What?" Daniel asked.

"The Ancient outpost, and I am afraid the news is not good."

"Oh?" Daniel said, approaching the console.

"It was destroyed shortly after the people arrived on this planet."

"That's fantastic," Daniel sighed. "What exactly are we looking for inside the outpost?"

Morgan thought for a moment as though she didn't want to say anything, but she finally spoke. "A box."

"That's it?" Daniel said incredulously. "We came here for a box?"

"Yes. The box contains a necessary piece of a puzzle which will lead us to… Well I am not exactly sure _what_ it will lead to…"

"Well isn't that just fantastic." Daniel's said sarcastically.

"I believe this is important."

"Why don't you just tell me the whole story? I'm getting tired of being left in the dark. The Others are clearly worried about something if they allowed you to come here. I don't think it will hurt if you enlighten me about this situation," Daniel said sternly.

"I do not think it is wise," Morgan answered flatly.

"Then you're more than welcome to finish this on your own. I have work to do on the Nox City," Daniel said, hoping Morgan would acknowledge her need for his help.

"Fine," she conceded. "The Others worry that the Inferi currently evolving in this system of planets are a second evolution of the original Inferi race."

"Do to original Inferi still exist?" Daniel asked, fearing the answer.

"We are not sure. Until recently, we believed that the Inferi and the Divinea annihilated each other in a brutal war many millennia ago, but then _Destiny_ discovered a planet designed by the Divinea, which led us to believe that they are still… alive."

"All right… What about the Inferi?"

"There is no way to be certain. Well…that is not exactly true. You could travel to the first galaxy, but I think that is unwise at this time."

"Why?" Daniel asked, getting a little flustered.

"Let me just say that you will be needed here for the time being," Morgan said.

"Good God! Would you stop being so damn cryptic all the time?!" Daniel shouted, his voice echoing off the walls.

"You want answers? I will give you the answers," Morgan said in a monotone. "The Igne Inferi will attack Earth. It will be disastrous, but not in the way you would expect… General Carter will retaliate by sending the Concordia to Imperium. It will find something so harrowing that Carter will not dare send a mission there ever again. The Nox city will prove to be very useful to you, and Earth will begin accumulating a fleet of ships the likes of which you have never seen before, but the Inferi Empire will be doing the same. There will be a triggering event, and the war will begin. Do you wish me to continue?" Morgan asked.

Daniel thought for a moment. "Please. What's the triggering event?"

"Even I do not know that, but I know that we are well on our way to causing it," Morgan said.

"Then why don't we just go back to Earth and forget this dead end mission?" Daniel asked.

"Destiny depends on it," Morgan replied.

"Our destiny or are you talking about something else?" Daniel caught on to Morgan's play on words.

"Very good Doctor Jackson. I trained you well."

Daniel narrowed his eyes; Morgan got the message.

"Both. Your destiny depends on it, and _Destiny_ depends on it," Morgan said, raising an eyebrow.

"I think I get it," Daniel said. "Is that the box you're looking for?" Daniel pointed to a dusty shelf on the back wall of the structure.

"Possibly," Morgan said. "Would you go get it please?"

Daniel thought for a minute and then retrieved the stone container. He dusted off the lid and opened the box. Inside rested a stone tablet with two embossed Stargate glyphs. Beneath it, Daniel found a glass tablet. He handed it to Morgan who reluctantly accepted. When she touched the tablet, an image appeared, and a message began to play.

"My name is Lankara, and I am a researcher on this planet. When you deliver this tablet to the Hub on the positive corner of the Grid, the next portion of the clue will be revealed," the message said.

"What?" Daniel said.

"I will have time to explain later. No doubt some of the other groups had trouble activating these. Come." Morgan left the structure and Daniel followed. The sun was high in the sky as they made their way back to the Stargate. When the transport dropped them off, Morgan selected Imperium's address on the obelisk, and the Gate activated.


	16. Chapter 16: Imperium

**A/N: Now the story will progress from the end of 15. Please review **

Chapter 16

Imperium

When Daniel and Morgan emerged on Imperium, they found a very drenched Cam and Teyla along with an impatient Vala.

"Took you long enough," Vala said.

"Sorry. This stupid box was hidden away," Daniel said.

"What's up with those boxes?" Vala asked. "We couldn't get the tablet inside ours to do anything."

"Give it to me," John said. When he touched it, the message played.

"That's not the same message we had," John said.

"It's the same one we had though," Daniel said.

"No time to waste. We have two more boxes to find. One is on this planet, and the other is on Pardus. John, Ronon, Teyla, and Daniel, you four will go to Pardus, and the rest of us will stay here," Morgan said before selecting an address on the obelisk. "Good luck." Once the four headed to the island world stepped through the Gate, Morgan led Vala, Teal'c, and Cam back to the transport station. They took the train back to the city center. Once they were back in Morgan's lab, the Ancient told them the plan.

"We are going to take a little trip underground. There are series of abandoned tunnels beneath the city. The outpost is directly underneath the center of the plaza," Morgan said.

"Sounds easy enough," Cam said.

"Perhaps," Morgan began. "Unfortunately, I do not know of a direct way into the tunnels.

"We could always blast a giant hole in the ground," Vala suggested.

Morgan shot her a dirty look. "That could destroy the outpost."

"Perhaps we should all split up and search the lower levels of the buildings surrounding the square," Teal'c said.

"That is reasonable. The entrance to the tunnel system will probably be in the oldest buildings. Take these," Morgan handed each person a wristband. "Each contains a three dimensional map of the city."

"Let me guess, the tunnels don't show up on here," Cam said.

"Correct. They were abandoned before the maps were made."

"Fantastic," Vala complained. "Well let's get started. I'll take this building here." She zoomed in on one of the buildings.

"That is the library. It was one of the first buildings constructed here," Morgan said.

"Great. See you all later," Vala beamed and strolled off, her boots clacking on the hard floor. She stepped outside into the rain and pulled her hood onto her head. "Always bloody raining here," she sighed as she crossed the plaza. When she approached the library, its automatic doors hissed open and the smell of paper wafted out. Vala stood at the front desk and tapped her finger impatiently until someone arrived.

"Hi. This is my first time here, and I don't know my way around. Can you show me how to get to the lower levels," Vala said.

"Of course, Peur," the librarian chirped. "Follow me." Vala followed the Inferi woman.

"This place is impressive," Vala said, looking up at the floors and floors full of both print and electronic books. There were several glass tubes serving as terrariums. It was then that Vala realized there were no light fixtures. The entire ceiling was made of glass.

"How do you light the place after dark?" Vala asked.

"The plants are bioluminescent," the librarian said. "It is very beautiful."

"Interesting. I'll have to come back and see it." Vala stepped into the elevator which descended into the ground. When the elevator stopped, a moldy smell entered Vala's nose.

"This smells delightful…" She said, her voice thick with sarcasm.

* * *

"What do you mean there aren't any lower floors?" Cam said.

"There are no lower floors. They were filled in long ago due to flooding," the Inferi man said. Cam decided to investigate an apartment building.

"Know any buildings nearby with lower floors?" Cam asked.

"The Science and Research Spire," the man said. "Across the plaza. Double helix shape."

"Thanks," Cam said before turning around and jogging across the stone plaza. "Morgan, this is Cam," he said into his wristband. "The apartment building didn't have a basement. I'm going to the Science and Research Spire. Anything I should know to get into the lower levels?"

"That is where the virulent and bacterial plague samples are kept. Most were moved to Aranea, but some remain here just in case the Stargate malfunctions when a plague breaks out," Morgan answered.

"Any chance of contracting them?" Cam asked.

"Not unless there is a breach, which is unlikely. Besides, your physiology is probably incompatible with the plagues. You will be fine."

"Got it. I'll let you know if I find anything." Before entering, Cam looked up at the glistening building. The top disappeared into the low cloud cover. "Damn that's a tall building." The doors hissed open, and he walked inside.

"How can I help you?" a woman at the front desk asked.

"I am here on business of Praeceps Natasha Bellerophon," Can said, doing his best to sound formal.

"What does the Praeceps need?" the woman asked.

"She has recently started work on the virulent and bacterial plagues and their potential as weapons."

The woman's expression was a mix of shock and pure terror. "E-excuse me?" she stammered.

"You heard correctly. The Praeceps' work has been authorized by the Supreme Chancellor herself. Do I need to contact the Praeceps."

"N-n-no. Here is the key to the lower level." She handed Cam a piece of slotted glass.

"Thank you very much." Cam smiled and took the key. Wiping his brow, he walked toward the elevator. After stepping into the glass capsule, he slid the key into an open slot on the panel.

"Key recognized." The elevator began to descend, but its movement halted after once it was completely underground. "Prepare for decontamination procedures."

"What?!" Cam yelled. He banged on the glass, but his efforts were futile. A shower of rancid smelling chemical vapor poured over him, covering from head to toe in a sticky coat. Then, a misty spray of what Cam hoped was water rinsed away the chemicals.

"Decontamination complete." The elevator resumed its descent. Cam looked up and saw his reflection. All of the work Morgan had done to alter his features was washed away by the cleansing spray. "Morgan we have a problem," Cam said.

"What is it?"

"I look human," Cam said.

"It should be fine. Everyone still believes you are Inferi. I doubt anyone will notice the change in your appearance."

"You sure?"

"Yes. Now hush. I am… what do you humans say? In a sticky situation," Morgan said.

The glass elevator slowed to a stop, and the door opened. Cam jumped back when he saw a woman standing on the other side of the door.

"Hello, Peur. My name is Atrox. What can I help you with?"

* * *

"I am a Praeceps for Orca's sake! Let me in!" Morgan nearly shouted, her face turning a bright red.

"I am sorry ma'am, but I must see proof of the Chancellor's orders for you to enter this sector."

"If you do not let me in, you will be seeing proof of the Chancellor's anger. I am sure she has many ways of killing slowly." Morgan leaned in so that her face was only inches away from the guard's.

He gulped. "Fine. You may enter, but if anything happens, I am not accountable."

"Deal," Morgan eyed the short man carefully before walking through the door. She strolled down the white hallway. The door opened, revealing the room which Morgan was looking for. Leaning on a balcony, she stared out across the large manufacturing area.

"There is your surprise, Daniel," Morgan mumbled, observing the assembly of fighter craft meant for a large cruiser. She walked toward an elevator and stepped inside. "Assembly level," she said. The glass capsule descended.

"Ma'am. May I help you?" A worker asked politely, cautiously approaching the Ancient.

"When will the first prototype be complete?" Morgan asked.

"Three days," the worker answered.

Morgan's lips curled into a smile. "Excellent. When it is complete have it sent to the pad on the roof, and I will have one of my pilots test it."

"As you wish ma'am."

"One more thing…" Morgan said.

"Yes?" the worker asked, turning around to face Morgan.

"Have the blueprints for the cruisers sent to my office. I would like to review them before construction begins."

"Of course. Anything else I can do for you?"

"That is all." Morgan turned around and walked to the start of the fabrication line as though she was inspecting the fighters.

"There you are," she said when she reached a metal door. Before opening it, she read the inscription which said _Do not enter! Extreme danger!_

Morgan pulled up on the latch and stepped into the hallway behind the door. She paused when she saw a crumpled piece of paper on the floor. Cautiously, she approached it, being careful to observe her surroundings. There was a fair amount of brown dust covering the floor, indicating someone had come out of the tunnels recently. There was also a blood stain near the paper. Fresh. A chill ran down Morgan's spine. She picked up the wrinkled paper and gingerly opened it. It made a rough crackling sound that echoed off the white walls.

_Whoever you are, whenever you read this, by searching for the key, you have placed yourself in grave danger. Of course, now you have no choice but to continue. Be mindful of forces that will seek to deter you. Deviousness. Slyness. Violence. Stealth. Cruelty. Ferocity. They will test you and some may even try to kill you. Find the map._ _It is the only way to unlock your destiny._

-_I_

Morgan folded the paper and slid it into her pocket. "Great," she groaned. "Yet _another _complication." She walked down the hall which seemed ominously quiet to her. Just as she was about to wrap her fingers around the latch, the door opened from the other side, letting the putrid smell of the abandoned tunnels to waft in. Morgan hid behind a support beam.

"I told you someone would find it," a woman's voice said.

"Damn. This is not helping the plan," another voice answered.

"We need Ferox. She will know what to do," the first voice said.

"She will return soon, and when she does, we will have our answer. Have you been successful with Saevus?" the second voice asked.

"Some. Re-growing a face is not easy. Dumb bitch used too much of the serum."

"Well aren't you rude, Devia," the second voice said.

"You're one to talk, Trebax," the first voice scolded. "Now come on. Atrox found one of _them._" The door shut, and the latch clicked. Morgan peeked around the corner to make sure the women were gone. Her eyes widened when she realized who the Inferi were talking about. "Mitchell…"

* * *

Teal'c strolled through the streets as he made his way toward the oldest building in Imperium: the capitol building. When he entered, he immediately headed for the glass elevators which took him to the lower floors.

"Who are you?" a guard asked when the elevator door opened.

"My name is Peur Sophos. I am here on the order of Praeceps Bellerophon."

"Proceed."

Teal'c walked past shelf after shelf of archival records, taking careful note of anything odd. When he felt grit under his boot, he stopped and looked to his left. On the far wall, he spotted a metal door with a warning label on it. Slowly, he opened the door and slipped into the tunnels. He stepped into the old and dingy structures and closed the door behind him. "Morgan, I have located the tunnels," Teal'c said into his radio.

"I have too. I think we all have. Change your map to a life-signs detector. I think there are other people down here," Morgan said. Teal'c switched his map. It provided him with a layout of the tunnels ahead of him. No other life-signs. Teal'c continued to walk deeper and deeper into the maze of hallways. He stopped in his tracks when he saw a blinking dot heading his way. He hid behind a wall and allowed the person to get closer. Just as the dot was about to round the corner, Teal'c heard a voice cry out.

"Oh for heaven's sake! They could at least put some decent lights down here!" Vala exclaimed.

"Vala Mal Doran," Teal'c said.

"Oh, God!" Vala jumped. "I didn't see you there."

"Have you seen anyone else?" Teal'c asked.

"Nope. Not like I can really see anyway," Vala laughed.

"Morgan informed me that there are others in the tunnels."

"Fantastic…" Vala said. "Is Mitchell down here?"

"Yes. We must find Morgan."

"More walking?" Vala complained. Teal'c raised an eyebrow, though Vala could barely see it because of the poorly lit environment. They walked until another life-sign appeared on Teal'c's map.

"Think that's Morgan?" Vala whispered. The Jaffa remained silent. The pair slipped around the corner and approached the dot. When they got close enough to see the figure, they realized that it was, in fact, the Ancient.

"Took you long enough," Morgan said. "I have been following a pair of Inferi. Their names are Devia and Trebax."

"Wait. Trebax? She was our guide on Aranea, and Devia was John and Ronon's guide. What are they doing here?" Vala asked.

"Devious and Sly," Morgan mumbled.

"What's that?" Vala asked.

"Nothing," Morgan said. "We must hurry, or they will get away."

The trio walked through the dark halls, following the enigmatic Inferi women. "Stop," Morgan said. "Another life-sign is approaching."

"Fantastic," Vala said. The trio slipped into the shadows and waited for the person to walk by. Morgan's eyes widened when she saw Furtivus round the corner. Once the woman was out of sight, the trio followed her until they practically ran into Cam and another Inferi woman.

"Hey there," Cam said.

"Peur," Morgan said in a condescending tone in response to Cam's informality.

"And you are?" Morgan asked, looking at the Inferi woman.

"My name is Atrox. I was just giving the Peur a tour of the tunnels. Would you like to come along?" she asked.

"Of course," Morgan said.

"Excellent," the woman smiled. "My sisters and I love guests."


End file.
